By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett returned home on Thursday.
Pickett, who was appointed the city’s top cop on April 1, received a heartfelt welcome from administrators, students and faculty at Miles College, his alma mater, during a Gun Violence Prevention fireside chat with state Senator Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham.
During the program he spoke directly to not just the students from Miles but also those from surrounding middle and high schools.
“A gun is nothing something that should just be picked up and handled like an iPad,” he said, “This is a serious item that a lot of people don’t understand the responsibility behind it.”
He also talked about his days on the Fairfield, Alabama, campus.
“I was in school (here at Miles) pursuing a degree in business management. [I] was 18 or 19 years old [and] working a job because I needed money. I was working out at The Summit (shopping center) working security. That’s when I had my first introduction to a true mentor. The director over that particular mall was a Birmingham Police Officer.
“When he started to read some of my [security] reports, these daily data activity reports. If something happened, an incident may have occurred, I would write it up … He saw those, and told me I would be a really good police officer and that I should take the test. I had no interest in being a police officer. From there I said, ‘I’d give it a shot.”
Pickett who is a graduate of Birmingham’s Ramsay High School and Miles College had his first assignment with the Birmingham Police Department as a patrol officer in the West Precinct.
Pickett, 40, and a 20-year veteran, took over as the interim chief in November following the retirement of Chief Scott Thurmond.
His career has included undercover work; oversight of safety and security of major events such as The World Games; and serving as Deputy Chief of Special Operations, where he successfully implemented Operation Knight Rider as a response to illegal and dangerous exhibition driving in the city.
In Pickett’s honor on Thursday, Miles College President Bobbie Knight presented 10 $1,000 scholarships through the Miles College online program to employees of the Birmingham City Police Department.
“At Miles, we’ve always believed that education is one of the most powerful tools you can use to uplift individuals, families, and entire communities,” Knight said. “Today, it is my honor to extend a special opportunity exclusively to those who serve and protect Birmingham every single day.”
Coleman also presented Pickett a resolution from the school’s Criminal Justice Department, a division of Social Behavior Science.
