Birmingham Fraternal Order of Police May Consider Vote of No Confidence in BPD Leadership

Birmingham Fraternal Order of Police Vice President Lawrence Billups announced that the FOP will present a vote of no confidence to FOP members next month in Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmondm, Deputy Chief LaQuaylin Mack, Deputy Chief Michael Pickett, Deputy Chief Sheila Finney and Deputy Chief Onree. Pruitt.

According to Billips, the Birmingham Police Department is short 300 officers.

Billups recently told a reporter that the shortage was due to a lack of leadership from the top.

“The lack of leadership is such that we are not getting the leadership we deserve, and the citizens of Birmingham are not getting the leadership they deserve from the police department,” Billups said. “We have a divided administration, we have a chief who is basically saying he has no control over his department, we have no one to lead us.”

Birmingham is one of the most violent cities per capita in America. U.S. News and World Report ranks Birmingham as the fourth most dangerous city in America, behind Memphis, St. Louis and Detroit.

At this point in the year, there have been 58 murders in the city of Birmingham, plus 5 killings that were ruled self-defense by investigators.

Most recently, June 8: Zetarius Free, 23, was shot and killed, and two other people were injured in a shooting at the Carson Crest Apartments, 1401 Carson Road in Bridlewood. One of the injured allegedly exchanged gunfire with Free. No charges have yet been announced.

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