Montgomery Area Crime Suppression Unit Marks One Year with Significant Results
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) — Tuesday marked one year since the launch of the Montgomery Area Crime Suppression (MACS) Unit, a multi-agency task force formed to tackle violent and non-violent crime in Alabama’s capital city.
In part one of our two-part series, we examine how the unit has impacted Montgomery’s crime landscape over the past year.
In July 2024, officials from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies gathered at the State Capitol to announce that the new task force had been operating for a month, deploying a more aggressive and coordinated strategy to combat crime.
“Usually, ALEA and the Attorney General’s Office are not involved in local violent crime initiatives,” said Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall during the press conference. “This effort didn’t begin because of a phone call from city officials or the local police department. It was because we heard the citizens of Montgomery. We heard you demand that you needed to feel safe in this community, and we responded.”
The idea for the unit began about 18 months earlier, when State Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Inabinett proposed a joint task force to Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Hal Taylor. The goal was to assist Montgomery police in dealing with a spike in shootings, robberies, burglaries, auto thefts and other crimes.
“We went around to the chiefs and the sheriff to ask them to commit to this endeavor — to send me some of their best,” Inabinett said. “The addition of ALEA’s aviation unit was a game changer. In vehicle pursuits, it helps us avoid danger on the road. Some individuals won’t give up, and now we can back off and let aviation guide us instead.”
The MACS Unit is composed of deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, officers from the Montgomery Police Department, ATF, and ALEA state troopers. Early on, one of the biggest hurdles was simply how officers communicated.
“We talked in ’10 codes,’ like ’10-8, we’re en route,’ while others used plain language,” Taylor said. “You had three or four agencies speaking three or four different ‘languages,’ and no one knew what the other was doing. So, we simplified it. We broke down those barriers. Now, it’s ‘We’ve just arrived on scene,’ or ‘We need help.’ That change allowed us to work together more effectively.”
In its first year, the MACS Unit made more than 3,100 traffic stops, served 983 arrest warrants — ranging from traffic offenses to capital murder — and made 429 arrests. The unit also seized 268 firearms and 164 illegal machine gun conversion devices, and recovered 68 stolen vehicles.
“Before this unit, those 3,100 traffic stops weren’t happening,” Taylor said. “Just pulling over cars for expired tags, broken brake lights or other probable cause is leading to major arrests. That’s where these numbers are coming from.”
While acknowledging that Montgomery will always face challenges with crime, Inabinett emphasized the need for consistent, proactive enforcement.
“A city the size of Montgomery is always going to have crime,” he said. “But you have to stay proactive. You can’t take your foot off the gas pedal.”
According to the City of Montgomery, violent crime has dropped 30% over the past year, while overall crime is down 19%.
Part two of this series will air Wednesday night on Action 8 News at 10 p.m. It will explore the future of the MACS Unit and how similar strategies could be implemented in cities across Alabama.
