Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road (right) speaks with Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 6, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Ingram is sponsoring a bill that would allow the governor and attorney general to appoint police chiefs for local communities, a move that several municipalities oppose. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
An Alabama legislator sponsoring a bill that would allow state officials to appoint the leaders of local police departments said Monday that he is confident the legislation will be approved.
HB 14, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, would allow the governor and attorney general’s Office to intervene and appoint a police chief — one not subject to local oversight — if they determine there is an ongoing public safety risk. The bill is scheduled to appear in the House County and Municipal Government Committee on Wednesday.
“It will be taken up,” Ingram said. “We had a public hearing last week and we will pass it out of committee this coming week. I would think there would be a really good chance for it to pass.”
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The legislation comes amid concerns about crime and a broader law enforcement push by Republicans in the Legislature this year, though it was not mentioned with other bills in the package by Gov. Kay Ivey in her State of the State address on Feb. 4. It has sparked criticism from local officials who call it overreach by the state government.
“Public safety is our top priority, but stripping municipalities of their authority and allowing state officials to appoint police leadership without local oversight is the wrong approach,” Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said in a statement.
The legislation says the governor and attorney general may intervene and appoint a police chief if staffing within the police department must be 30% off the average staffing levels during the prior 10 years. Many cities in Alabama, including Birmingham and Montgomery, have struggled to meet staffing targets.
The bill also requires the governor’s office and attorney general’s office to review crime statistics relevant to the area and consult with the local district attorney’s office the sheriff’s office and crime victims.
The interim police chief will be under the authority of the governor and the attorney general’s offices and not subject to local oversight. The interim police chief would serve until both the governor and the attorney general agree that the threat to public safety has subsided.
Ingram said that an amendment will be introduced that would modify the legislation to require that both the governor and the Alabama attorney general jointly agree and appoint an interim police chief should the need arise.
“I just think that a lot of municipalities may have a fear factor that somebody may be vindictive, a governor may be vindictive, or an attorney general may be vindictive, and not like a person because of party or may have bumped heads with someone before, so I think it would be a better safeguard to have both of them on board,” Ingram said.
Reed also said that investments are needed to recruit and retain law enforcement officers and for community-based policing.
“Montgomery is committed to strengthening public safety the right way — by working with our residents, not around them,” Reed said. “I urge lawmakers to reject HB 14 and support policies that empower cities to build safer communities.”
The Alabama Republican Conference made public safety the priority for the 2025 session.
“One of my top priorities for this session is addressing the rise in violent crime in some of Alabama’s major cities,” Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said in a statement sent to the Alabama Reflector Monday when asked for a statement about the bill. “While I believe the state can play a significant role in tackling this issue, county and municipal leaders must take the initiative and make decisions that benefit their communities.”
Gov. Kay Ivey unveiled her legislative priorities as part of her State of the State address, announcing legislation that supports enhanced immunity for law enforcement and a scholarship for their dependents aimed at boosting recruitment. There are also a host of bills aimed at controlling guns.
Ingram’s bill was not listed.
Ingram said the state assumes custody of individuals who commit crimes when they are sent to prison, so the state should have some responsibility for overseeing the role of law enforcement where crime remains at elevated levels.
“The state ought to be the parent to step in and make sure there is something there for these people to rely on and fall back on,” Ingram said.
Members of the respective state delegations representing both Montgomery and Birmingham said they do not support the measure.
“What our police departments need is revenue, the ability to hire more people on the ground,” said Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham. “That is the problem. The problem is not the management of it. The problem is having the necessary resources to increase their salaries and to provide bonuses, additional training and benefits to lure more people toward being police officers.”
Sen. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, said the bill was “overreach.”
“I have not seen, nor have I heard, anything relating to our situations here in Montgomery, as it relates to crime, that requires state intervention,” he said.
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