ONLY ON 8: Montgomery crime statistics show drastic uptick in property crimes in 2024
A shortage of police officers and escalating crime continues to worry citizens in Montgomery. According to new statistics from the State Trauma Registry, from January through the end of May there were 203 gunshot wounds treated at emergency rooms in Montgomery. Now Action 8 News has obtained data showing that property crimes like car break-ins, robberies, and burglaries are also on the rise. Andrew Szymanski says, “I left my car at Hilltop at my business this weekend & it was broken into. We’ve never had a problem there before. It’s not just here or there it is everywhere and it is something we can’t ignore.”
District 7 City Councilman Andrew Szymanski says he’s experienced firsthand the escalating crime in Montgomery and he wants to help do something about it. Andrew says, “One of the things that I’m hoping that we are seeing is that we are passing compensation packages that will help recruit & retain police officers that we are going to make sure we find the best possible police chief for the moment to help bring leadership that is needed to the department. I appreciate that people are coming to city hall. I think its really important & it holds the city councilors and the Mayor’s office accountable to what the people are wanting.” F.O.P. President Everette Johnson says, “I’m hearing a lot of folks that are obviously unhappy. They are overworked, understaffed & officers are leaving the city at a tremendous rate and we’re averaging 2 or 3 (per week) at a minimum. They’re going to take jobs where they’re making less money, but because of the environment and culture of that agency, they’re willing to take the pay cut in order to find themselves in a better place where they feel like they’re being supported not only by their community but by their administration.”
Everette Johnson worked for the Montgomery Police Department for 20 years and is the president of the Capitol City chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police. “I think the challenge of hiring is that it takes so long. From my understanding many agencies outside of Montgomery are hiring out from Montgomery bc they’re able to get the application process done quicker and more efficiently & bring those officers into those other agencies, ” says Johnson. According to MPD’s internal statistics that were shared with Action 8 News, as of May 25 there are seven fewer homicides than there were last year, but crime in seven other categories is up. 150 people have been robbed this year compared to 81 in 2023. Robberies at businesses are up a whopping 180% as opposed to this time last year, and burglaries at businesses are up 35%. Car break-ins are up almost 36% and 118 more cars have been stolen in the Capitol City this year compared to the same time last year. Everette Johnson says, “Starting pay for law enforcement officers at MPD is $47,000 which is good money, but for firefighters it is $52,000. Why is a law enforcement officer’s life not as valuable in their service as a firefighter’s life? At least make their starting salaries even with each other.” There are currently 290 Montgomery police officers, but only 260 are eligible to patrol the streets. 490 is the allotted number of officers that a city the size of Montgomery should have.
As far as the search for the new police chief goes, a spokesperson from Mayor Steven Reed’s office released a statement saying “Chief John Hall will continue to serve as acting police chief until an interim is in place. Additional details about the search will be released soon.” Police Chief Darryl Albert resigned from the Montgomery Police Department on April 18, 2024.
