By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times
The Birmingham Crime Commission on Monday delivered a long-awaited report for reducing homicides and gun violence in the city which reached historical levels in 2024.
The 66-page report contains more than a dozen recommendations including four key supporting initiatives: “excellence in law enforcement (rebuilding the Birmingham Police Department;” “leadership and governance”; “community-centered safety framework” and “economic and social stability.”
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin formed the commission in October 2024 made up of residents and leaders from business, community, criminal justice, health care, and non-profits to address the city’s alarming homicide rate.
Birmingham ended 2024 with 151 homicides, the highest number of killings in the city in nearly a century. Already in the first five days of 2025 three more homicides were recorded including a Domino’s pizza delivery driver shot to death New Year’s night during an apparent robbery.
The commission’s report touches on a widely discussed subject by city leaders and residents regarding the historic gun violence and whether BPD has enough staffing to address the crisis.
Under “Rebuilding the Birmingham Police Department (BPD)” on Page 8 it suggests “acceleration of efforts to urgently fill more than 230 current vacancies [in BPD], ensuring a fully staffed force capable of meeting the city’s public safety needs.”
Other police related measures include:
- Prioritization of recruitment and retention of highly qualified officers to strengthen departmental capacity and operational effectiveness.
- Modernization of equipment, technology, and infrastructure to enhance operational effectiveness. Expansion of the police fleet to ensure every patrol officer has an assigned vehicle, and to enhance readiness and visibility, provide officers living in Birmingham a take home vehicle to drive to and from work.
- Restructuring of Homicide and Cold Case Units to alleviate caseload pressures and improve case outcomes.
However, former Birmingham Police Chief and retired Lt. Gen. A.C. Roper, who consulted the Commission as Strategic Advisor, said solutions will take more than law enforcement. “Police and the criminal justice community play a critical part in this plan, but each of us has a role to play in achieving change,” he said.
The report also states “economic and social stability” as another key supporting initiative by “addressing the root causes of crime with investment in education, job training, and workforce development to provide pathways out of poverty.”
On Monday, Woodfin said the city must “develop and support positive resources for teenage Black boys; and jobs for young Black men … concentrated poverty, high unemployment for young Black men and our teenage Black boys not attending school, compounded with the staffing issues police departments [struggle with] nationwide …, as well as a culture of retaliation has created the storm that we face.”
The report recommends “expanding mentorship, after-school programs, and recreational opportunities to divert youth from criminal behavior and foster positive development Increase funding and expansion of RESTORE juvenile re-entry program and reimplement Police Athletic Teams/League (P.A.T.).”
In other areas, immediate actions identified by the Commission include:
- Focused Deterrence, described as a cornerstone strategy targeting high-risk individuals and groups through a combination of enforcement, accountability and social support.
- Community Violence Intervention, which would expand street outreach and hospital-based violence intervention programs to disrupt cycles of violence and retaliation.
- Shooting Reviews to provide ongoing analysis of violent incidents to identify patterns, prevent retaliation, and guide future interventions.
- Focus on Hotspots, designed to address concentrated areas of violence in the community through strategies ranging from additional policing to blight reduction and neighborhood revitalization.
The Commission is chaired by Lee Styslinger, Co-Chair of Altec Inc., and Ralph Williams, Jr., Vice President of Alabama Power Company’s Birmingham Division.
The commission’s vision was not only about reducing crime “but transforming Birmingham into a model of resilience, unity and opportunity for the nation to follow,” Styslinger said. “Our recommendations call for a sustainable plan which can be supported not only by government entities, but our neighborhoods, businesses, and non-profit agencies.”
Williams said, “the report is designed to address violent crime from multiple directions with a focus on immediate impact as well as long-term change.”
To read the entire report, visit www.birminghamal.gov/csi/.
Updated at 3:38 p.m. to clarify the headline.
