BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - The Birmingham mayor's security detail - thrust into the spotlight after last week's shootout on a downtown interstate that left two people wounded - is almost as old as the city's form of government.
The practice of assigning Birmingham Police officers to protect the mayor began in 1967 with Mayor George Siebels, the second mayor elected under the city's mayor/council act. The practice has remained since, although manpower has grown.
Now, Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper said, the detail is made up of one police lieutenant and five other officers who are not only assigned to the mayor, but are charged with securing city hall.
The cost? The normal salaries of the police officers, plus the cost of the vehicle, which is paid by the mayor's office. That amounts to about $300,000 a year.
"Being the mayor of Birmingham is a high-profile public office in a city with a rich and storied civil rights history,'' Roper said. "When coupled with the challenges of providing government service in a post 911 society, I believe like many chiefs before me that the BPD is the best and most qualified agency to provide security for our mayor."
The mayor's security detail became a hot topic one week ago today when officers became involved in a shootout on I-59/20 at the 22nd Street exit. According to police and city officials, here is what happened:
Bell and his security detail, sworn Birmingham police officers, were on the way home from a YMCA fundraiser at the Wine Loft downtown and driving along Eighth Avenue North. The mayor's vehicle, a Chevrolet Suburban, stopped at a traffic light in the 300 block of Eighth Avenue North as the entourage headed toward the mayor's College Hills home. Bell and the officers noticed a Lincoln Town Car across the intersection from their car, facing the mayor's vehicle. A man was sitting on the sill of the opened passenger's window, wielding a handgun. That man, dressed dark clothing, a skull cap and gloves, opened fire.
The mayor's security detail continued down Eighth Avenue, called in a report of shots fired and provided a description of the suspects' Town Car. In the meantime, the Town Car looped back around and was again back in front of the mayor's vehicle again, firing shots a second time.
The mayor's vehicle followed the Town Car onto the northbound interstate, eventually turning on lights and sirens. The suspects' vehicle crashed into a concrete guardrail. The security officers got out of the car and repeatedly told the suspects to get out and show their hands, but to no avail.
Gunfire erupted from the Town Car, and officers returned fire. A man and a woman were struck. A third person was taken into custody. No charges have yet been filed in connection with the incident. Authorities have been interviewing witnesses all week.
Roper said the primary duty of the officers assigned to the mayor's detail is to ensure the mayor's safety in his day-to-day operations. The officers provide Bell transportation to and from his daily duties, and also to and from after-hours functions. "And there are many,'' Roper said.
The officers assigned to Bell's detail serve at the mayor's discretion. The costs are the same as officers assigned to other divisions, whether it be patrol or a detective bureau.
The chief said the practice of providing security to the Birmingham mayor goes back to at least 1967. Seibels, who served as mayor from 1967 to 1975, had two security officers. Roper said it isn't known whether Mayor David Vann had a security detail.
There is no doubt, however, that Mayor Richard Arrington was provided security when he was elected in 1979 as Birmingham's first black mayor. There were threats on his life, and his home. All mayors following Arrington have had security.
Roper said the officers on the mayor's detail have similar scheduling shifts as other officers throughout the department. The lieutenant schedules the shifts according to the needs. It's a common practice, he said. "Most large cities have some type of security details for their mayor which can be adjusted as the need requires,'' Roper said. "For example, when I started my law enforcement career with the Montgomery Police Department in 1985, the mayor and his spouse had a security detail. At that time, the department also provided overnight security at the mayor's residence."
In Huntsville, there is security for Mayor Tommy Battle. His staff said that for security reasons, they don't discuss the details, but said Battle is provided security and that team operates in different layers depending on the need and the level of activity. It is a similar story for Mobile Mayor Samuel Jones, who has a full-time sworn officer with him at all times, and sometime more if the situation calls for it, according to his staff.
"Most cities handle it according to their tradition, requirements and security concerns,'' Roper said. "There are times we'll need to supplement the operation depending on other visiting dignitaries and security issues. For example, 2013 is a big year with the 50th anniversary of the 16th Street Church bombing."
Though the public has questioned whether Bell's security officers should have gotten him to safety instead of getting involved with the suspects, Bell has said he 100 percent supports their actions. They tried to get him out of danger, he said, but when danger kept reappearing, the mayor said his and his security team's concern was for the general public. "I would have been derelict in my duty, and they would have been derelict in their duties, had they not done what they did because there is no telling what else (the suspects) would have done. We're just grateful the public in general was not harmed in any way."
Bell held a press conference days after the shooting. He spoke of his ordeal, and said he wasn't the target of the gunfire. The mayor said he's grateful for the officers that surround him. He said there is a special bond between a security detail and the person they are charged with protecting. "The fact that they were willing to put their lives on the line to protect me and the general public speaks volumes."
Source: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/12/birmingham_mayors_security_det.html
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