With more than half of recommendations underway, Birmingham gets first update on crime commission report
It's been over a month since the Birmingham crime commission released its first report aimed at combatting gun violence and other crime across the city. Mayor Randall Woodfin has released his first report on the status of the commission's recommendations.
In the initial report, the commission made 82 recommendations on how to stop the violence. As of Wednesday, the Mayor said 23 items are in the planning or development phase, and an additional 23 items are in progress or getting ready to launch.
To view the full report,
"Fifty-three percent of those recommendations actively being worked on," Woodfin said. "Now, let's be clear: much work has to be done, much work remains, but this here is progress over the last 30 days."
That progress includes recruitment and retention efforts within the Birmingham Police Department. When the commission released its initial report, BPD had 233 vacancies across the department.
"The police department is currently reviewing 90 candidates out of the first phase of the screening process for the March academy class," Woodfin said.
The report also includes initiatives aimed at helping those at risk and stopping the violence before it begins.
"This also includes street outreach teams tasked with targeting at-risk individuals to provide opportunities to disrupt the cycle of violence," he said.
The Mayor also supports plans to ban firearm conversion devices or Glock switches. Wednesday, he spoke in front of the state senate judiciary committee supporting a ban.
"In Birmingham and in other cities across the state, there are too many grieving mothers who have lost their child because of the use of these machine gun conversion devices," Mayor Woodfin told the committee. "In 2024, we had two mass shootings where machine gun conversion devices were used in both."
In 2024, Birmingham broke the homicide record with 152 homicides happening within city throughout the year. Woodfin cites Glock switches as the reason for breaking the record.
"Birmingham would have not had the deadliest year on record if these conversion devices had not been used in these two instances and others," Woodfin said. "We want to make sure in 2025 and beyond those who manufacture, sell and possess machine gun conversion devices, and especially those who use them, will be held accountable."