One month later, city of Birmingham makes progress with crime commission's recommendations
In February, the city of Birmingham released the first crime commission report recommendations. In it, the board recommends what the city should do to prevent gun violence across the city.
A month later, 米兰体育 13 noticed some recommendations changed from development to in progress.
In progress right now is developing a gun violence reduction strategy, expanding a hospital violence intervention effort, and implementing a street outreach program.
On the ground, city leaders are looking for citizen input, in community meetings, on how to stop gun violence. The city held a community feedback session at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Last Wednesday, the city held a community meeting wanting to hear from Birmingham citizens on how to reduce gun violence.
米兰体育 13 was there to see people who live in various neighborhoods across Birmingham offer their opinions while organizers actively listened and took notes.
Now, they will take what they heard and figure out how to implement it.
"The police, of course, they're doing their job for the ones that are committing crime. But what about the ones that might come in crime and just lost in their way of living? Somebody's got to be there for them,鈥� Lanier said.
Timothy Lanier has been a hospital violence interrupter for a couple of years. He鈥檚 been working with gunshot victims in the hospital. More people will join him soon. They were trained last week on how to keep gunshot victim's family members waiting in the emergency room from leaving to retaliate against the shooter.
Lanier is also a part of the group called Offenders Alumni Association. For the last couple of years, Lanier has been in the hospital helping gunshot victims with thinking twice about retaliating against the person who shot them.
The city has seen OAA鈥檚 success and are about to expand it into the hospital's emergency room. They just wrapped up a training for those hospital violence interrupters, last week.
The city of Birmingham鈥檚 attorney's office is currently reviewing a memorandum of understanding to make this official.
鈥淲e saw in December the city council passed money to implement community violence intervention tactics in Birmingham. That's what we're seeing right now, but part of this plan it to now only talk about what we've been doing; that includes the restore program, that includes common ground. But also, what we plan on doing because you do not take your foot off the gas pedal because violence continues. We have to make sure we're on the front end of not just reacting to it, but we鈥檙e being proactive,鈥� Uche Bean, with the city of Birmingham, said.
There鈥檚 a street outreach program underway. An organization called Trajectory Changing Solutions will be engaging with high-risk individuals to mediate conflict and prevent violence. The interview process for filling positions started and it launches next month.
At some point there should be 12 crime analysts job openings on the These people will be tasked with collecting data to help understand and address the root cause of violent crime.
A month ago, the city had no update in this category when the commission board recommended developing a comprehensive criminal history research system.
The plan is to have the trained crime analysts address these issues.
The city has made progress with working on the pardons and parole board.
In March the Birmingham Police Department staff met with the pardons and parole command staff to collaborate with each other.
The police department has a liaison who will share information with them and help the probation and parole with narcotics-related incidents.
The probation and parole command staff will be included in the weekly shooting review meeting of the police department.
The Birmingham Police Department has a plan in progress with its homicide unit.
A restructuring is coming to alleviate caseload pressures and improve case outcomes.
The department is waiting for recruitment to happen so they can implement it.