By james art 
Mayor Randal Woodfin is on a national tour in the media, promoting sales of his new book, while Birmingham faces the largest number of murders of a century and the lowest number of sworn police officers in new history.
State representative Jundaline Givan (D-Birmingham), who triggered Woodfin in the City Hall of Birmingham in 2025, says he tried to manage the Birmingham police department of the mayor’s office during his mayor-and this is killed.
“This city cannot be managed on the basis of someone’s thought process to be influenced,” Givan told Yellowhammer news. “My interest is about concern for people, about lost life, for over 1000 dead for eight years. He came out at 158 dead at the end of 2024. ”
Givan accuses Woodfin of poor police department on grounds, citing high turnover among senior executives and a lack of interest in recruiting and detention of officers. As Givan was repeating a recurring Woodfin, he did not use his name during a one -hour interview.
“No mayor should appoint an assistant chiefs. The mayor should not appoint a deputy chief. Birmingham has lost not only four or five superiors under this administration-if you count all the assistants of the superiors and deputy chiefs-you watch twenty-something chiefs under one administration we have lost. And it doesn’t make sense. “
Related: The Birmingham Crime Report on the Crime Calling Action To Reversal of the City’s Deadly Trajectory
Problems with the shortage of employees of the Birmingham Police Department are inextricably linked to the increase in violent crimes, according to Givan and other state MPs. However, this issue is only partially understood, since the official BPD turnover numbers are not publicly available – even for state legislators.
A recent report by the Birmingham Crime Commission, which was initiated after a shooting that left four dead and dozens of wounded in September, revealed only the degree of problems. As described by the report, “insufficient staff, especially in the killing ward, has led to intense loads, more slow response times and cases of lag.”
According to the report, 21% of employees resign with 2-3 years of service, half of the departure are under 40 years of age, and the front sheet patrol department has the highest number of rpm.
In Birmingham, the number of killings increased from 53 in 2014 to 159 in 2024.
Related: Birmingham celebrates most killings since 1933, breaking a gloomy 91-year record
“It is not about such or dislike and I said that several times I wanted to see this administration, this guide succeeded. I have never had a reason not to do it and I would still be glad to succeed, “Givan said.
“For eight years, we have been trying to talk to this administration, prayers and prayers – it can be checked again and again – calls at midnight. There is a problem with this police station. You have a lack of morality, but not only that, the number of sworn officers is dropped. “
With the state legislative session in 2025, at the beginning of next week, legislators are ready to deal with the issue of crime in Alabama. Leadership in both chambers indicated that a package of bills would be brought, which could struck penalty, disintegrate into illegal weapons entering the hands of violent criminals, as well as potentially stronger measures.
A bill proposes to enable the state to appoint local police chiefs in municipalities who meet the specific requirements.
Grayson Everett is the editor -in -chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow it on x @GRAYSON270S