Birmingham Police Chief Responds To 'No-Confidence' Vote

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A prominent police lobbying body has placed a "vote of no confidence" in Birmingham's police chief. The Fraternal Order of Police board Wednesday unanimously approved the "no-confidence" vote for Chief Patrick Smith.

"Innocent people and children are being shot and killed by gunfire while sitting in their homes," said Fraternal Order of Police attorney Liz Young. " Families are being torn apart by senseless violence and homicides. Police officers are being shot and injured at an unprecedented rate. When is enough, enough?"

The FOP cited the rash of violent crime seen in the city in 2020 and thus far in 2021 for its reasoning behind the vote, and Smith was swift to rebut the poor review.

"The recent vote of no confidence made by the FOP is strongly rejected and serves only as the opinions of a small group of 12 who made this decision without consulting with the majority of FOP members and Birmingham Police Officers," Smith said Thursday in a statement. "After speaking to several of our officers, I found several BPD Officers of the department were caught by surprise with this vote and had no knowledge of this decision made by these 12 members. Some voters consisted of retirees, some who are no longer employed by the Birmingham Police Department and some who simply have a bone to pick with alternate agendas."

Smith said despite what the FOP may think, crime under his watch has not increased, citing the city's end of the year report, which Smith says reflects a decrease overall in crime, although he did concede that homicides have increased. However, Smith said the increase in homicides follows a nationwide trend.

"As we look at recent trends across the country during the COVID pandemic, it has been a rise in homicides and violent crime nationwide," Smith said. "Birmingham has experienced these challenges along with most major cities across the country. However, our consistent fortitude to improve drove us to invest in our department with additional training, technology, and equipment that will support our efforts to further decrease crime and combat the violent crime challenges we face."

Smith also referenced the changes brought about by the death of George Floyd in May of 2020. "We’ve also witnessed a shift in the culture of law enforcement after the death of George Floyd that changed how we police the city," he said. "It’s imperative that we adjust to societal changes and sometimes that mean making uncomfortable changes. When you introduce police reform to a police department, it’s never an easy conversation."