Former Birmingham Police assistant chief State Rep. Allen Treadaway (R-Morris) weighed in on current issues facing the Birmingham Police Department following a deadly weekend.
Treadaway spoke to Valerie Vining on Talk 99.5’s “Dixon & Vining” morning show about the two shootings that left seven dead and 10 injured.
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After 31 years with the City of Birmingham, Treadaway said he is shocked but not surprised by what has happened. He explained that a cultural shift that comes with demonizing law enforcement and defunding the police has led to issues.
“I loved the Birmingham Police Department,” Treadaway said. “Loved the relationships I made with not only with the folks within the department but within the community. So, it's very shocking to be hearing and seeing what we're seeing.”
“ … Nobody wants the job,” he added. “When I was over hiring, I would need about 650 eligible applicants through the personnel board to put about 45 officers in an academy. They can't even produce 150 over the last several years. So, consequently, you're seeing the staffing levels dropped, and now we've hit, in my opinion, a crisis, and somebody better start pushing the panic button and doing something to get folks back the on the street.”
Treadaway said that a significant decrease in staffing has directly impacted crime by taking away proactive policing and turning it into reactive policing. He said the inability to have boots on the ground prevents law enforcement from detecting crime and intercepting offenders.
Birmingham isn’t the only city experiencing the same issues. According to Treadaway, staffing levels have dropped around 40% in Montgomery.
As a lawmaker, Treadaway hopes the legislature will take these issues seriously and start considering ways to support law enforcement. He said that departments need to begin recruiting officers outside their cities on the local level.
“In Birmingham, in the last six months a year, you've had a number of cities that are here recruiting Birmingham officers,” he said. “You've had Atlanta, I believe you had Austin, Dallas, you've had Virginia and why are they doing that? Because they're thinking outside the box. They're not able to recruit and get enough officers that they need in their area so they're going outside the area.”
“I'd like to know which large city in the state of Alabama has went outside its area trying to recruit,” he continued. “We're just sitting back saying this is a nationwide trend. Well, it may be, but I think I'd look at the numbers here locally around the state, and we're outpacing those numbers.”
Treadaway believes politics has played a role in local policy because elected officials make law enforcement decisions instead of those with experience.
“They're hiring individuals who've got a lifetime of experience but not allowing them to run the department in the manner in which they need to do to make the community safer,” he added. “And look across the country, whether it's the big cities, LA, New York, Chicago or look at Baltimore, Portland, Birmingham, Montgomery. You look at them. This type of approach is putting lives in danger. Lives are being lost because of it.”
Treadaway also addressed the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. He said he would like to know what security failure led to the tragic shooting that left one dead and three injured, including Trump.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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