The Senate County and Municipal Government Committee held a public hearing on legislation setting staffing standards for law enforcement agencies in Montgomery and Huntsville.
The bill by State Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) would provide minimum staffing requirements for Class 3 municipal law enforcement agencies. Alabama has two Class 3 cities, Montgomery and Huntsville. Most of the discussion during a public hearing on the bill on Tuesday centered around Montgomery. The bill will be voted on in committee next week.
The requirements would include a minimum ratio of two full-time law enforcement officers for every 1,000 residents of the municipality. The bill would establish a five-year compliance period for municipalities not in compliance on the effective date of the act. During this compliance period, the municipality would be required to meet certain goals and increases in staffing. The bill would provide that if a municipality fails to satisfy certain requirements for staffing, the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency would be authorized to assume oversight of the municipal law enforcement agency. The bill would authorize the Attorney General to seek to recoup any costs incurred by the state in the oversight of a municipal law enforcement agency. The bill would also authorize the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency to adopt rules.
Barfoot said during the public hearing, “The city of Montgomery is in need of police officers. This bill is acknowledging the need for that.”
“It puts more law enforcement officers on the street that’s the goal of it,” he added. “What I do know is that when I do talk to officers in Montgomery, they believe they are understaffed. I’ll applaud the city of Montgomery here recently there was a campaign commercial during the Super Bowl where the city acknowledged and is trying to recruit more officers and I think that’s an important thing. This bill actually comes alongside the city of Montgomery in their efforts to continue to recruit and retain law enforcement officers so I think it’s a benefit especially for the city of Montgomery.”
State Sen. Kirk Hatcher (D-Montgomery) said, “This feels like a punishment for not having enough officers.”
“As far as I can recall ALEA isn’t even fully staffed so we’re going to take law enforcement officers for the state and put them in municipalities seems to be not really great thinking,” he added.
Barfoot responded, “It’s not a punishment.”
“It is targeted for the people that we represent and for the people who come to the city of Montgomery. Again, not to punish Montgomery but to come alongside Montgomery and aid Montgomery,” Barfoot said.
Montgomery Police chief James Graboys spoke against the bill, saying “recruiting and retention are on the upswing.”
“Our numbers are rising and they’re going to be in a good place,” Graboys said. “From my point of view, it does not help us. In fact, actually it feels very much like we’re singled out.”
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed also spoke against the legislation.
“I don’t think it’s a needed bill at all. I think it’s a solution in search of a problem,” Reed said. “We can handle our own issue.”
Katherine Robertson, chief counsel for Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, said she didn't agree with some of the public hearing commentary that suggested more police officers don't help with lowering crime.
I actually don’t agree that more police officers doesn’t help a whole awful lot with crime," Robertson said. "I’ll also say that from a state standpoint, I can only speak for the current attorney general’s office, but it is not our desire to ever take over anything, and I expect ALEA would feel the same way. At the same time, we are the repository of a lot of constituent complaints, concerns, and they look to us because the AG is the chief law enforcement officer to have some reaction to that. It is certainly up to this body to decide what you want the state’s reactions to those kinds of concerns to be. I think it is a pretty philosophical argument. I agree with a lot of what was said. I think local control is the ideal. I do agree with that. The state has to decide whether it turns a blind eye and says talk to your local people, or if there is some role for the AG or ALEA to play.”
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