Legislature considering allowing state to take over staffing at Montgomery Police Department
A bill that could put state officials in charge of police staffing in Montgomery is expected to reach the Alabama Senate floor next week.
Supporters say it’s needed to address staffing shortages, while critics argue it threatens local control.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road), would allow the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to step in if class C municipalities fail to meet minimum police staffing levels. That would apply to Montgomery and Huntsville.
“The Montgomery Police Department, the men and women that serve there do an awesome job buy and large, and I’m grateful that they are there,” Barfoot told Action 8 News. “But it makes it a lot more difficult for them to combat crime and do what they’re supposed to do if they’re at a staffing level that is less than what they need to be at.”
Montgomery has a population of just over 200,000 people, according to 2020 census. Barfoot says the city needs two officers per 1,000 people to police effectively.
“400 is the minimum that Montgomery needs for these police officers to be effective in their job. That’s not a random number. It wasn’t just picked from the air, that’s from the City of Montgomery Police Department’s former interim police chief,” Barfoot said.
The Montgomery Police Department has not publicly released its current staffing numbers, citing safety concerns. Barfoot says credible sources tell him the department has between 220 and 230 officers — about 40% fewer than the recommended minimum.
According to the bill, Montgomery would be required to increase its net number of officers by 10% each year. If the city fails to meet those benchmarks over a five-year period, ALEA could step in, develop an operational plan and contract with other law enforcement agencies to help patrol the city.
Barfoot said the city would have to reimburse the state or other agencies for the expenses they incur in helping the police department.
He says the city already budgets for enough officers and would not need to raise taxes to comply with the requirements of the bill.
But Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed strongly opposes the bill. In a statement, Reed says recruiting and retaining officers is a challenge nationwide.
“Recruiting and retaining law enforcement officers is a challenge facing cities across Alabama and the nation. SB 298 imposes a one-size-fits-all staffing mandate and authorizes state operational control if that threshold is not met. That is a significant change to how public safety is governed at the local level, and we have serious concerns about its impact on municipal accountability,” Reed said.
Barfoot says the state has the authority and responsibility to intervene.
“All municipalities, the 400 and some odd municipalities throughout the state, are creations of the state legislature, and so we have the ability, authority and obligation to make sure the people we represent are safe to the best of our ability,” Barfoot said.
He praised the Metro Area Crime Suppression unit (MACS) for helping lower crime in Montgomery, but says it’s not a long-term fix. MACS is made up of various agencies who pitch in to help patrol Montgomery and make arrests.
“The state taxpayers from other areas of the state are probably not going to, as far as their representatives and senators, not going to want to continue to fund something that is specifically for a certain area,” he said.
The bill passed the County and Municipal Government Committee earlier this week. Barfoot expects it to come up for debate on the Senate floor next week.
