Bill would allow Alabama governor and attorney general to appoint local police chiefs • Alabama Reflector

“The county puts them on trial with some of the state money,” he said. “The municipality pays nothing. Then when they are convicted, we have to house them, and today we are building huge prisons because we don’t have enough space to house them.”

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed sharply criticized the proposal in a statement.

“At a time when we should all be working together, I would like to see Representatives Ingram and Senator Barfoot work with our entire delegation of local state legislators to find solutions rather than introducing local preemption laws that undermine municipal authority and impinge on a city’s right to self-government,” the statement said.

Greg Cochran, executive director of the Alabama League of Municipalities, which represents the cities, said Monday that his organization had not reviewed the bill.

The attorney general or governor would oversee the interim chief and pay his salary.

“The appointing authority may apply to the court of the county in which the municipality is located for reimbursement of all costs incurred in enforcing this section, including payment of the salary of the acting chief of police,” the bill states.

The municipality will continue to financially support the operation of the police department.

The bill does not say how a municipality would regain the power to appoint a police chief. It would allow a local sheriff to be appointed to that position. If a sheriff were appointed, the bill states, he or she would be “entitled to additional compensation…not to exceed $75,000 per year.”

“We will work with the mayor and get back to you immediately,” Ingram said. “If we can help you with that, you can resume your recruitment. We don’t want to stay in that position because we will be paying for that position. The state will be paying for that position.”

In recent years, lawmakers have imposed harsher penalties on people convicted of crimes such as shoplifting and crimes committed as part of a criminal organization.

Lawmakers also passed bills to lengthen prison sentences, including one that reduced incentives to reduce the time people could spend in prison for good behavior. Lawmakers in 2022 repealed the requirement for gun owners to obtain gun licenses, money that sheriff’s departments used to fund their operations.

Ingram said the bill was not too far-reaching.

“We take full responsibility when a crime occurs in their jurisdiction,” he said. “I think we have to get involved, and they have to get involved. We have to protect these citizens.”

Democratic Rep. Kenyattaté Hassell of Montgomery said the legislation was “not necessary” and said lawmakers should instead focus on reducing the availability of firearms.

“Let’s be reasonable,” Hassell said. “Let’s say we have all the police officers we need. Let’s say all the officers we need are occupied, and there’s a guy walking around the neighborhood with an assault weapon and no shirt, and nobody says anything to him. The person is walking up and down the street with an assault weapon.”