By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted and Published on October 6, 2024
An Editorial Opinion
Birmingham has experienced three mass shootings since February 2024 and none of them has been solved.
On September 21, 2024, four people were killed and 17 others were injured in a mass shooting in the Five Points South nightlife district. In February, four men were killed in a drive-by shooting near a car wash. In July, four were killed and 10 others were injured in a drive-by shooting at a birthday party hosted by a nightclub.
On February 28th, police arrested a man whom they believe is the drive-by shooter in the February 16th mass shooting, but they have not arrested the kingpin who ordered the mass shooting.
There is a $100,000 reward offered for helping police find the killers in the Five Points South attack. Yet, no arrests have been made in this horrific crime.
The city’s police force is severely understaffed. Birmingham currently employs about 400 of the 912 sworn officers it needs to provide adequate police protection.
The number of police officers required to be fully staffed is based on the city's unique configuration of being located in two Jefferson and Shelby Counties, its 151 square miles of territory within the city limits, and its 99 neighborhoods and communities within the city limits.
The current and former Birmingham police chiefs have repeatedly and publicly stated that the city needs 900 or more police officers to provide adequate public safety in the city. The Fraternal Order of Police agrees with this figure. The police department’s own website (as of May 2024) shows that the city requires 912 sworn officers.
Yet, in recent years, the city has only budgeted for 725 police officer positions.
Presently, Birmingham is No. 3 on the Forbes list of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. At its current pace, Birmingham is on track this year to record the highest number of homicides in the city’s history.
What is worse, high-profile murders are not being solved. For example, on July 12, 2023, a gunman entered Birmingham Fire Station No. 9 and fatally shot firefighter Jordan Melton. The gunman severely wounded firefighter Jamal Jones. Fifteen months later, these violent crimes remain unsolved. The case has gone cold.
The person with the sole statutory responsibility for enforcing public safety in Birmingham is Mayor Randall Woodfin. Right now, Woodfin is failing in this responsibility. Woodfin is also gaslighting city residents on the number of officers employed by the city.
It is apparent to concerned citizens throughout the metro-area that the Birmingham police department lacks the capability to patrol the city’s 99 neighborhoods and communities in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in an adequate and effective manner. It is also obvious that the department is struggling to solve its backlog of mass shootings and high-profile murders in the city.
Both of these public safety issues are directly tied to poor leadership in City Hall and the staffing crisis that plagues the police department.
The collapse of public saftely in Birmingham has only emboldened the dangerous street gangs and drug trafficking cartels that now control the city's streets. Unless there is a change in leadership at City Hall, Birmingham will surely move up on the Forbes list to become the most dangerous city in America in 2025.
The most alarming part is that these murders are not solved or no arrest made.