Birmingham police chief announces plans to retire

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama police chief announced plans to retire Thursday, just over a month after a mass shooting renewed scrutiny of the department’s efforts to quell surging gun violence and homicides.

Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond, 50, announced at a press conference that he will step down at the end of November, two years into his tenure as the historic city’s top cop.

“It’s not an easy decision,” said Thurmond, who spent over half his life with the Birmingham Police Department. Thurmond did not give a specific reason for his choice, but said he had “to do what’s best for me and my family.”

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin applauded Thurmond for his “commitment to our city, his commitment to the men and women that he has led.”

In late September, Birmingham was cast into the national spotlight after a mass shooting outside of a nightclub left four people dead and more than a dozen others injured. Between January and September, there were 122 homicides in Birmingham, the vast majority involving guns.

The shooting renewed criticism over the police department’s handling of gun violence across the city, which is on pace to break a 91-year record.

“Thurmond has for more than a year failed to properly develop and/or execute a plan that would lead to a reduction in the number of killings and mass shootings in Birmingham,” State Representative Juandalynn Givan said in a statement shortly after September’s mass shooting.

Thurmond said he began considering his departure months ago, and that his decision has “nothing to do” with recent events or criticism of the department.

Last week, the Birmingham Police Department arrested and charged a 22-year-old man with murder in connection with the mass shooting that was the city’s third this year.

At the press conference, the mayor described the “last few weeks” as “incredibly challenging,” and commended Thurmond for swiftly making arrests related to the mass shooting.

In the press conference, Woodfin also cited a recently approved $16 million program that would, among other things, help recruit over 170 new officers to address the department’s shortage.

The mayor tapped Deputy Chief of Special Operations Michael Pickett, who has served the department for two decades, to serve as interim police chief once Thurmond steps down next month.