MONTGOMERY, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said there are no plans for a state takeover of the Birmingham Police Department, but he is offering help.
“Let’s make it clear,” Marshall said. “We’re not seeing mass shootings in every city across Alabama. We’ve seen it in isolated spaces. We’ve seen it in certain communities. But it is not the widespread problem across the state. Doesn’t mean it’s not serious because it is.”
Mass shooting kills 4 and wounds 17 in nightlife district in Birmingham, Alabama
In and out of those certain communities, Marshall said more law enforcement is needed. The attorney general believes the new Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit has met this need in Montgomery. He said it can also work in Birmingham.
“We’ve taken guns away from the bad guys,” Marshall said. “We’ve put them behind bars, and Montgomery is safer right now because of that, and we have the ability to do that in other communities as well.”
Marshall spoke to Birmingham-area law enforcement officials during a special meeting Tuesday. He emphasized the success of the Montgomery plan.