Birmingham Police Department

Birmingham Police Department
Patch of the BPD
A BPD Officer's Badge
Abbreviation	BPD
Motto	To Protect & Serve
Agency overview
Formed	1871
Employees	1,100
Annual budget	$89.4 Million (FY 2019)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Map showing jurisdictional area
Size	148.61 square miles (384.9 km2)
Population	212,237
Legal jurisdiction	As per operations jurisdiction
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	1710 1st Ave N Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Police officers	909
Unsworn members	260
Agency executives	Scott Thurmond (FN), Chief of Police LaQuaylin Parhm, Assistant Chief Sheila Finley, Deputy Chief of Patrol Operations Cedric Stevens, Deputy Chief of Investigative Operations
Bureaus	3 Administrative Operations Patrol Operations Investigative Operations
Facilities
Precincts	5 North South East West Tactical Operations
Other facilities	8 City Jail Airport Substation School Services Substation Civic Center Substation Southwest Substation Police Academy Range and Training Facility Horse Stables
Website
police.birminghamal.gov

The Birmingham Police Department (BPD) is the police department of the city of Birmingham, Alabama, in the United States. The department operates in an area of 148.61 square miles across two counties (384.91 km²) and a population of 212,237 people.

History

Founding and early history

Birmingham Police Evening Shift, Year Unknown

When Birmingham's first city government took office in 1871 under Mayor Robert Henley, he appointed a City Marshal, O. D. Williams, to direct the efforts of two patrolmen, Robert Bailey and Henry Clay Atkins. Henley made himself available to assist with patrols if needed before he was forced to resign due to tuberculosis.

The second administration, under James Powell, took office on January 6, 1873 and installed W. G. Oliver as Marshal. He initially commanding a force of three patrolmen, Ed Taylor, Robert Bailey and A. Robinson, but the young department was expanded with ten new recruits over the course of that year. Those included W. L. Cantelou, Jule Wright, James Armstrong, William Harris, J. D. Lykes, M. Hagerty, William Clay, J. L. Ellison, W. W. Coxe and John Coxe. That force held strong for the next year, but was reduced back to five men, headed by E. G. Taylor, during William Morris' second administration in 1876. Under Thomas Jeffers's administration, it was reduced back to three, with Ben Plosser commanding William Seay and John B. Lewis. Plosser was succeeded by L. M. Teal in 1878.

Mayor A. O. Lane elevated the city government beginning in 1882. He brought W. G. Oliver back as Marshal and also appointed John Thompson to serve as Captain of Police, commanding officers G. W. Merritt, J. A. Brock, J. A. Mingea, W. S. Nelson, J. S. Barksdale, C. K. Dickey, G. J. Tomlin and T. P. Hagood. The annual payroll for the department was $540 in 1882. A new set of uniforms was required to be worn while on duty.

In 1884 Frank Gafford and O. A. Pickard succeeded Oliver and Thompson as Marshal and Captain, respectively. Gafford oversaw the organization of the city's first professional Fire Department in 1885. J. H. Mingea, J. G. Smith, William Burwell, J. B. Donelson, H. U. McKinney, T. J. Boggan, A. H. Maynor and James McGee were sworn in as new officers that term. The department's payroll for 1886 had risen to $970.

For Lane's third term, Pickard was elevated to City Marshal. Newly-sworn officers included J. D. Anderson, Charles Martin, J. M. Nix, W. M. Turner, W. J. Carlisle, A. L. Sexton, R. M. Saunders, W. H. Pinkerton, T. Z. Hagood, Richard Smoot Jr, James Turner, B. R. Childers, Thomas Hart, J. S. Oldham, O. M. Hill, R. H. McCullum and James Hillary. The city's expense for the salaries and operation of the department in 1887 reached $12,500.

The first Birmingham Police officers to lose their lives in the line of duty were George Kirkley and J. W. Adams, who were killed in a shootout following the robbery of the Standard Oil offices on March 27, 1900.

The Birmingham Police Department, with the help of U.S. Steel, vigorously investigated and targeted labor activities during the 1930s and 1940s. Information was fed to a "Red Squad" of detectives "who used the city's vagrancy and criminal-anarchy statutes (liberally reinforced by backroom beatings) to strike at radical labor organizers." In the 1950s, the investigations shifted from labor to civil rights activists.

Racial integration

In 1963, the Birmingham campaign pushed for racial integration and faced violent responses from the police department, especially with the Children's Crusade. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his Letter from Birmingham Jail while under arrest in Birmingham during the Civil Rights protests. In 1966 the department hired its first ever black police officer, Leroy Stover, who suffered racial abuse in his first weeks on the force but went on to become Deputy Chief of the department. The second black officer, Johnnie Johnson Jr., hired the day after Stover, went on to become the city's first black chief of police. Johnson was appointed to the post by Richard Arrington, the city's first black mayor, in 1992.

Organization

Chief of Police

The Chief of Police is a sworn member of the police department appointed by the Mayor of the City of Birmingham. All members of the Birmingham Police Department report to the Chief.

Assistant Chief

The Assistant Chief reports directly to the Chief of Police and is also the commander of the Administrative Operations Bureau.

Internal Affairs

The Internal Affairs unit is responsible for reviewing complaints of officer misconduct. Internal Affairs reports directly to the Chief of Police.

Public Information Officer

The Public Information Officer's primary responsibility is to provide information to the public and the media regarding the department.

Administrative Operations Bureau

The Administrative Operations Bureau consists of the Professional Standards Division and Support Services Division as well the Technology, Budget, Inspections, Grants and Parking Enforcement Units.

Professional Standards Division

The Professional Standards Division consists of the Payroll, Hiring, Accreditation and Training Units.

Support Services Division

The Support Services Division consists of the Records, Report Review, Property Room and Corrections Units.

Field Operations Bureau

This unit was formerly called the Patrol Bureau. About half of all the policemen in the department are assigned here. It consists of the five police precincts, the Mayor's Security Detail and the Community Services Division.

Community Services Division

The Community Services Division consists of Officers Police Support for the Alabama State Fair,Youth Services, Crime Prevention Officers, Chaplains and Community Service Officers.

Investigative Operations Bureau

The Investigative Operations Bureau consists of the Homicide/Robbery Unit, Crimes Against Property, Vice Narcotics, Special Victims Unit and Forensics Services.

Rank structure

The BPD uses the following rank structure:

Insignia	Rank title	Information
	Chief of Police	The Chief of Police is Commander of the BPD.
	Assistant Chief	The Assistant Chief is Second-in-command.
	Deputy Chief	Deputy Chiefs are Commanders of a Bureau.
	Captain	Captains are Commanders of a Precinct or Division.
	Lieutenant	Lieutenants are Shift commanders within a Precinct, assistant commanders of a Division, or commanders of a Unit.
	Sergeant	Sergeants are Supervisors
	Police Officer

Chiefs of Police

Since 1871, there have been 34 appointed chiefs of the Birmingham Police Department. W.G. Oliver was appointed twice, serving from 1873-1875 and again from 1881–1882. Jamie Moore was the longest serving chief of police in Birmingham Police Department History, serving for 16 years.

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Birmingham Police Department in 1871, 47 officers have died in the line of duty.

Rank	Name	Date of Death	Cause of Death	Age	Location
Police Officer	J. Wafe Adams	03-28-1900	Shot and killed along with Police Officer George W. Kirkley while attempting to arrest a suspect they saw commit a robbery	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	George W. Kirkley	03-28-1900	Shot and killed along with Police Officer J. Wafe Adams while attempting to arrest a suspect they saw commit a robbery	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	William P. Walton	03-18-1902	Shot and killed at the home of a suspect believed to have been part of an assault	56	On Morris Street, in between 8th Street and 9th Street
Policeman	James H. Mullin	09-27-1903	Shot and killed after arresting a man who brutally beat a woman in the street	45	N/A
Detective	Samuel H. Hamilton	05-12-1907	Shot and killed during a domestic dispute over child custody	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	Willis A. Smith	03-10-1908	Shot and killed after stopping a suspect for questioning in the street	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	John W. Little	11-07-1908	Shot and killed while he and another Officer raided an illegal liquor den	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	George Clinton Eubank	11-23-1909	Shot and killed after a business owner supposedly mistook him for a robber	36	In the business district of Birmingham, Alabama; exact location N/A
Police Officer	Loner Denson Camp	06-19-1910	Shot and killed while attempting to arrest an illegal gambler	25	N/A
Patrolman	W.C. Wallace	11-08-1910	Shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man for carrying a concealed weapon	23	On 13th Street in Birmingham, Alabama
City Marshal	William Benjamin Morgan	09-29-1913	Shot and killed by a man he kicked out of a saloon earlier that day	41	N/A
Detective	Hugh Tully	10-13-1913	Shot and killed as he and two other Officers attempted to arrest a suspect for a stabbing 7 months earlier	N/A	N/A
Officer	John Aquilla Moore	12-05-1913	Shot and killed while he and his partner entered a house to investigate illegal activities	27	N/A
Officer	George A. Sims	01-22-1918	Shot and killed after getting on scene to a disorderly man call	N/A	N/A
Officer	John Dickerson Newby	10-15-1919	Succumbed to injuries sustained on 10-10-1919 after being shot in a dark alley after hearing shots	N/A	N/A
Officer	Sam P. Dobyns	09-19-1920	Shot and killed while raiding an illegal gambling house	N/A	N/A
Sergeant	Walter C. Hollums	08-15-1923	Struck and killed by a car while directing traffic	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	Ray Payne	02-12-1927	Shot and killed while trying to break up a fight between 3 men	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	Alexander A. Manley	05-26-1927	Shot and killed by a man he was talking to about his illegal parking	N/A	N/A
Motorcycle Officer	Elsie Turner Lewis	03-03-1928	Shot and killed while with his partner during a traffic stop with a car that ran a red light	26	N/A
Motor Scout	Henry Francis Mills	08-08-1930	Killed in a motorcycle crash	N/A	On Arkadelphia Road
Police Officer	Edward Lee Buckalew	05-23-1931	Killed in a car crash	N/A	N/A
City Warden	William Ira Latham	10-24-1932	Killed in a car crash while transporting a prisoner	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	Dumas Froy Phillips	04-23-1934	Killed in a motorcycle crash after losing control while headed back from Pell City, Alabama for court	40	On Leeds Highway, 3 miles east of Irondale, Alabama
Police Officer	Forest J. Harris	02-08-1935	Succumbed to injuries sustained on 02-01-1935 during a shootout with robbery suspects	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	James M. Early	04-15-1935	Shot and killed after a robbery suspect, that he and other Officers were attempting to arrest, barricaded himself in a garage	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	Homer Earnest Poore	06-30-1936	Struck and killed by a vehicle while on a traffic stop	N/A	N/A
Detective	James Tillman Moser	01-31-1939	Shot and killed with his own weapon while attempting to arrest an escaped death row inmate	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	Edward Newton Wolff	07-12-1941	Killed in a motorcycle crash	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	Fred R. Brockman	11-03-1953	Shot and killed after arriving on scene to a man with a gun call	52	N/A
Police Officer	Herbert C. Osborn	07-24-1962	Killed in a motorcycle crash	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	Azell L. Harris	05-04-1969	Shot and killed while confronting 3 robbers at a local freight warehouse	42	N/A
Police Officer	Kenneth Lee Spencer Jr.	07-13-1969	Shot and killed with his own weapon after trying to kick a disorderly man out of a public swimming pool	26	N/A
Police Officer	Henry L. Thompson	10-16-1972	Shot and killed with his own weapon while trying to calm a disorderly customer at a bank	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	Felix Underwood	10-07-1973	Shot and killed at a traffic crash by an emotionally disturbed person who killed a person before killing Officer Underwood	N/A	N/A
Detective Sergeant	William Stanley Jones	08-09-1975	Died from a heart attack while chasing a suspect	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	James Earl Rhodes	03-11-1978	Killed when another vehicle struck his motorcycle while he escorted a funeral	32	N/A
Sergeant	Albert Eugene Ballard	11-29-1979	Shot and killed while on a traffic stop with a possible bank robber	N/A	In downtown Birmingham, Alabama; exact location N/A
Police Officer	Edward K. Alley Jr.	12-25-1980	Shot and killed while attempting to arrest 2 convenience store robbers	34	N/A
Police Officer	Robert D. Patterson	10-31-1982	Accidentally shot and killed by a fellow Officer	N/A	N/A
Officer	Sharon K. Robinson	04-07-1984	Killed in a crash with Officer Marcus L. Reid while responding to a burglary call which was false	N/A	N/A
Officer	Marcus L. Reid	04-07-1984	Killed in a crash with Officer Sharon K. Robinson to a burglary call which was false	N/A	N/A
Police Officer	Frank H. Dunn	10-14-1986	Killed after hitting a tractor trailer that made a left turn in front of him	N/A	N/A
Officer	John Martin Huffman	05-21-1992	Killed after being struck by a driver under the influence of narcotics while on a traffic stop	33	On I-59; exact location N/A
Officer	Robert “Sande” Sanderson	01-29-1998	Killed by a bomb while working overtime at an abortion clinic	34	At 1001 17th Street S, Birmingham, Alabama 35205
Officer	C. Robert Bennett	06-17-2004	Shot and killed along with Officer Harley Alfred Chisholm, III and Officer Carlos Winston Owens while serving a warrant	33	Near 18th Street and Avenue P in the Ensley community of Birmingham, Alabama
Officer	Harley Alfred Chisholm, III	06-17-2004	Shot and killed along with Officer C. Robert Bennett and Officer Carlos Winston Owens while serving a warrant	40	Near 18th Street and Avenue P in the Ensley community of Birmingham, Alabama
Officer	Carlos Winston Owens	06-17-2004	Shot and killed along with Officer C. Robert Bennett and Officer Harley Alfred Chisholm, III while serving a warrant	58	Near 18th Street and Avenue P in the Ensley community of Birmingham, Alabama
Sergeant	WyTasha Lamar Carter	01-13-2019	Shot and killed as he and his partner attempted to arrest two men who were trying to break into multiple vehicles around 2:00 A.M.	44	900 block of 5th Avenue North near Chase Bays in Birmingham, Alabama

There has been 1 Birmingham Police Department Officer killed while off-duty.

Rank	Name	Date of Death	Cause of Death	Age	Location
Officer	Joseph Jerome Daniels	11-18-2002	Shot and killed while attempting to stop a robbery at a fast food restaurant	31	On Graymont Avenue at Reno Chicken and Burgers in Birmingham, Alabama

See also

• Shooting of Johnny Robinson
• Bull Connor
• List of law enforcement agencies in Alabama

External links

• Birmingham Police Website