Montgomery Mayor, Police Chief Speak Out On Crime

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Following a weekend homicide, Montgomery’s mayor and police chief are once again speaking out on violence in the city.

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange and Police Chief Ernest Finley sat down with media to talk about the city’s most recent crime statistics – and they are once again  telling Montgomery residents that their crime initiatives are working.

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange, weighed in on recent crime statistics that indicate violent crime has decreased in the last 3 months.  “…And 6 of the 9 months we have this year violent crime is less than it was last year” said the mayor.

Overall all crime in the city however, up by just under 2% this year. The mayor explains “The half empty glass of water person would say yeah but you still have these murders you still have these shootings you still have these robberies…yes we do because we are a community on the move it [crime] is moving, it is moving from West to East”.

Mayor Strange believes some of the city’s recent initiatives are working to fight crime, such as the gun buy back program and the youth task force. Both the mayor and police Chief Ernest Finley agree that increased police presence will play a big role in lowering over all crime in the city.

“We’ve established a number of initiatives in the last 3 or 4 months that have put more cops on the dots more police officers in the cars moving in the neighborhood, less people in administration more people in the actual patrol , and we’re going to do more than that “says Strange.

Chief Finley says “a homicide, a robbery, a burglary these are the individuals that are really plaguing our community so we really believe in targeting those particular areas that we really get hit hard”.

Montgomery’s Police Department is currently staffed at just about 500 officers, with hopes to raise that number to about 530 as soon as possible. Mayor Strange also says that there are plans to introduce incentives like a retention bonus to reduce the turnover rate within the police department.