Public Safety

Economic Opportunity, Community Policing Among Solutions to Birmingham’s Gun Violence

Birmingham has been riddled with crime for decades, and people are concerned about the increasing number of homicides. In 2020, violent crimes such as rape and robberies decreased, but gun-related violent crimes increased almost 20%. Last year ended with a total of 122 homicides, the most in the last 25 years. So far in 2021, there have been at least 60 homicides in the city of Birmingham, according to data from the Jefferson County Coroner's Office. Read more.

by Cody Short, WBHM

UAB And JeffCo Officials Plan Hospital-Based Intervention Program For Gunshot Survivors

Trauma doctors in Birmingham are treating a record number of patients with gunshot wounds. Health officials hope a violence intervention program could help reverse the trend. Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Birmingham Residents Offer Solutions to Gun Violence but Some Victims Feel Hopeless

The spike in Birmingham’s gun violence has many residents concerned and outraged. Local activists have said reducing shootings has to be a community effort, with local government support. Read more.

by Janae Pierre, WBHM

ACCS Addressing Campus Security Reporting Issues

Several Alabama community colleges have not met all the requirements of a long-standing federal act on campus safety reporting, but officials say they will be compliant by the Oct. 1 reporting deadline. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Euphoria Continues Despite the Bullets

Despite several recent shootings, Ensley’s Club Euphoria is staying open — for now. The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to give the venue 13 weeks to institute a safety plan and address neighborhood concerns, after which the council would decide whether to shutter the venue. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

How Birmingham’s Police Chief Plans to Slow the City’s Homicide Rate

Birmingham finished 2020 with its highest number of homicides in 25 years. So far this year, the homicide rate shows no sign of slowing down. That’s putting increased pressure on city leaders to curb the violence. And a lot of that pressure falls on Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith. “There are times to where it’s going to be incredibly difficult,” Smith said. “This is one of those times.” Smith, who’s originally from Tuscaloosa, has led the Birmingham police force and its 900-plus officers since 2018. Before, he spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Police Department. According to Smith, deadly violence typically increases during the summer months. So, officers have been focusing on areas of the city where the data indicate crime is more likely to occur. “One of the things we have to do is to stay on top of things, make sure we’re doing positive patrols in certain areas,” Smith said. Smith discussed his approach with WBHM’s Andrew Yeager. Read more.

by Andrew Yeager, WBHM

Mayor Woodfin Seeks Community Help to Find Shooters of Children

Five children have been killed or injured by gun violence in Birmingham this year, and city leaders are pleading for witnesses to come forward. “Our detectives are doing everything they can,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a Tuesday morning press conference. “This is a community issue and it needs to be a community effort, and I don’t think we can leave it to the five detectives for these five cases.” Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Bang, Bang. You’re Closed: Birmingham threatens to close clubs with violent episodes.

The city of Birmingham is going to make a greater effort to close clubs and venues where gun violence takes place, Mayor Randall Woodfin said Tuesday. “I want to give public notice to any club owner,” Woodfin said in a press conference after Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “You are responsible for protecting your patrons, and if you do not do so, we will move to shut you down.” The announcement follows an early morning drive-by shooting at Club Euphoria in west Birmingham that left 21-year-old Lykeria Taylor dead and another male injured. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

To Curb Gun Violence in Gulf States, Activists Are Taking a Closer Look at Policing Alternatives

Over Memorial Day weekend, at least 26 shootings were reported in major cities across Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. At least 10 people were killed and 17 others were injured. It was the latest example of rising homicides and gun violence across the Gulf states this year. Read more.

by Becca Schimmel, Gulf States Newsroom

$125,000 Fund Set Up for Rewards in Shootings of Children

On May 18, Katrina Grady, a nursing assistant for more than 20 years, stopped on the side of Warrior Road to provide aid to what she believed was an injured person in a car. The car was empty, and Grady’s family came under fire. Her 8-year-old daughter, Katilynn, was hit by a rifle bullet and injured in the shoulder and head. Grady was told by doctors that it was a miracle she was alive. “The doctors told me that if she had moved her head any other kind of way, it would have been another situation right now,” Grady said. Tuesday, Grady stood before a crowd at a press conference arranged by Mayor Randall Woodfin and made an emotional plea for change as her daughter stood off to the side. Woodfin announced formation of a $125,000 Gun Violence Against Children Fund, a collaboration with more than 20 churches and organizations to combat gun violence against children in the city. Crime Stoppers will administer the fund to pay $25,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of individuals responsible in each of five cases involving children under the age of 10. Arrests already have been made in a sixth case involving another child. “Never in a million years would I have expected something like that to happen,” Grady told the crowd. “For six kids to get shot, we’ve got to do better. Somebody knows who (did) this to my child and I want justice. It hurt me more than anything.” Read more.

by Michelle Love