Could Birmingham see a crime suppression unit like Montgomery?

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Alabama Governor Kay Ivey says she’s prepared to work with Mayor Randall Woodfin to start a crime suppression unit in Birmingham, similar to one in Montgomery.

The Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit (MACS) began at the end of June and has seen quick success in the last three months. Both Ivey and Woodfin believe this could be a tool to help curb violent crime in Birmingham.

“Of all the times, of all the things that have happened in our community, this requires team, this requires partnerships, this requires overcommunication and everyone being at the table,” Woodfin said.

Woodfin says he sees the results working in Montgomery with the MACS unit and that the city has a similar program with federal agencies.

“We have to keep focusing on, not just conflict resolution and other programs with other tax dollars, but we have to, in partnership, get at the heart of what’s happening in our community,” Woodfin said. “Because all of this is solvable, we just need to work together.”

Woodfin says for all of the victims in Saturday’s mass shooting, the focus now needs to be finding the shooters and bringing forth arrests and convictions.

“Doing that alone restores faith in our justice system and gives our families, who are a part of this unfortunate event, justice,” Woodfin said. “Doing that also allows for the mass public, our community as a whole, to know that we have their back and their front and we’re going to do everything we can to provide justice in this community.”

Woodfin says he knows solving this problem will take a village with help from all levels of government.

“We started the [MACS] Unit and it’s paying off big time,” Ivey said. “I’m prepared to help Mayor Woodfin start the same in Birmingham.”

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency released updated statistics on the MACS Unit on Sept. 20. Since the program’s start on June 24, the unit has seized 83 guns with 17 of those having “switches” to convert it to a machine-gun style weapon.

Senator Katie Britt released a statement that reads:

My heart is broken for the families of the victms in Birmingham. I know Alabamians across our state join me in prayer for their loved ones and are mourning this tragedy alongside our neighbors. This kind of senseless violence has no place in America. Law enforcement agencies are working diligently to find the culprits and ensure justice is served. I urge anyone with information about this shooting, no matter how small the detail seems, to contact the Birmingham Police Department or submit an anonymous tip to Crimestoppers at 205-254-7777 or crimestoppersmetroal.org. Working within the framework of existing laws, we can, and we must hold accountable anyone responsible for this heinous crime. Following the shooting, I spoke with Mayor Woodfin to personally offer my condolences and reiterate my staunch support for getting every possible federal resource in the hands of local law enforcement to combat violent crime in Birmingham. I’ve spoken with the ATF Director as well. Earlier this month, I also met with the Mayor and City Council members in Washington, D.C., to discuss continued ways we can partner to strengthen public safety in Birmingham. I’m proud to have secured $4.2 million in congressionally directed spending for the Real Time Crime Center in Birmingham, which was enacted as a part of the FY 2024 Appropriations package earlier this year. There is undoubtedly much more work to do, and I remain committed to being a partner at the federal level to local and state officials working to keep Alabamians safe. We should also know that government alone can’t solve this problem. As a nation, it is past time to address the root causes of a growing culture of violence. Making the change we all want to see starts in hearts and homes.”

U.S. Senator Katie Britt

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