BREAKING NEWS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. THANKS FOR JOINING US ON THIS MIDDAY. I鈥橫 EMMA OWEN IN FOR SARAH KILLIAN AND WE START WITH BREAKING NEWS OUT OF BIRMINGHAM. THE CITY COUNCIL VOTING UNANIMOUSLY ON A POLICE RECRUITMENT PLAN. UNDER THE PROPOSAL, THE CITY WOULD TRANSFER ALMOST $16 MILLION FOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE PLAN INCLUDES INCREASING A RECRUITMENT BONUS FOR OFFICERS AND ESTABLISHING QUARTERLY RETENTION BONUSES, ALONG WITH OTHER INCENTIVES. WE HAVE CREWS AT THE MEETING RIGHT NOW, AND OF COURSE WE鈥橪L BRING YOU UPDATES HERE ON AIR
Birmingham City Council unanimously approves $16M police recruitment plan
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Updated: 11:09 AM CDT Oct 8, 2024
The Birmingham City Council unanimously approved a $16 million plan for police recruitment Tuesday.Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin says the funding will be used for hiring and retention bonuses. He also talked specifically about patrol officers.鈥淚 can tell you for the year of 2020 the year of 2021, 2022, 2023 combined all those four years the city of Birmingham hired 168 officers unfortunately in that exact same window combined retirement and resignations equal that number which has created the gap in unfilled positions related to patrol, the number we desire in patrol is 440 officers I want to tell you that we have a shortage of 172 combined again that exact number is a shortage of 172,鈥� Woodfin said.The police chief also spoke on the hiring effort.鈥淭he work that the men and women of the Birmingham Police Department do every day is miraculous and I know that when we're fully staffed there's that much more that we can do to serve our citizens that much better so I have full confidence in this plan,鈥� Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Birmingham City Council unanimously approved a $16 million plan for police recruitment Tuesday.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin says the funding will be used for hiring and retention bonuses. He also talked specifically about patrol officers.
鈥淚 can tell you for the year of 2020 the year of 2021, 2022, 2023 combined all those four years the city of Birmingham hired 168 officers unfortunately in that exact same window combined retirement and resignations equal that number which has created the gap in unfilled positions related to patrol, the number we desire in patrol is 440 officers I want to tell you that we have a shortage of 172 combined again that exact number is a shortage of 172,鈥� Woodfin said.
The police chief also spoke on the hiring effort.
鈥淭he work that the men and women of the Birmingham Police Department do every day is miraculous and I know that when we're fully staffed there's that much more that we can do to serve our citizens that much better so I have full confidence in this plan,鈥� Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said.
