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SHERRY AND GUY. ALL RIGHT JASON, SEE YOU IN A LITTLE BIT. WELL, THE BIRMINGHAM FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE MAY BE CHANGING THEIR THOUGHTS ON POLICE CHIEF SCOTT THURMOND. WE FIRST TOLD YOU THAT A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE WAS EXPECTED TO HAPPEN SOON, BUT TODAY WE LEARNED OTHERWISE. �������� 13 JARVIS ROBERTSON SPOKE WITH THE FOP TONIGHT TO FIND OUT WHY THEY HAD A CHANGE OF HEART. WHAT DID THEY TELL YOU, JARVIS? WELL, SHERRY, THE BIRMINGHAM FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE PRESIDENT TOLD ME THAT NO CONFIDENCE VOTE WAS NEVER FORMALIZED. IT WAS JUST CONVERSATION AMONG MEMBERS. NOW THE FEELINGS ARE DIFFERENT. THE BIRMINGHAM FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE HAS DECIDED TO HOLD OFF ON A NO CONFIDENCE VOTE OF BIRMINGHAM POLICE CHIEF SCOTT THURMOND. THE MEMBERSHIP IS STILL UNHAPPY, BUT RIGHT NOW WE’RE IN GOOD DISCUSSIONS WITH THE MAYOR’S OFFICE, FOP PRESIDENT OF LODGE ONE D’ANGELO HALL SAYS THEY ARE HOPING TO SEE AN IMPROVEMENT IN BENEFITS, WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS. RIGHT NOW, WE’RE WE’RE SHORT ON VEHICLES. UH, WE’RE HAVING TROUBLE DRIVING, UM, RAGLAND VEHICLES TO CALLS. UM, EQUIPMENT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED ACROSS THE BOARD. UM, COMPUTERS, YOU NAME IT. UM, WE NEED IT IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. HE SAYS LOW MORALE IS STILL AN ISSUE. THESE GUYS ARE MOTIVATED FOR FOR A LEADER. UM, IF THEY CAN GET A TRUE LEADER TO COME IN AND LEAD THEM, THEY’LL BE GREAT WITH IT. KEEP IN MIND A BILL PREFILED JUNE 12TH IN THE ALABAMA LEGISLATURE THAT WOULD ALLOW THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OR GOVERNOR TO APPOINT AN INTERIM POLICE CHIEF IF IT’S DETERMINED THERE’S A THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY WITHIN A MUNICIPALITY. AND IF 30 OR MORE PERCENT LESS THAN THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS EMPLOYED BY THAT POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE PRECEDING TEN YEARS. BACK IN MAY, CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL O’QUINN TOLD �������� 13 THAT BPD HAD ROUGHLY 296 VACANCIES OUT OF 725 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. HALL UNDERSTANDS THAT IF THE LEGISLATION WAS TO PASS, THIS FORCE WOULD LIKELY BE TAKEN OVER BY THE STATE, BUT HAVING A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE WOULD NOT BE A GOOD MOVE RIGHT NOW. AS OF RIGHT NOW, IT IS, UM, BECAUSE, UH, BIRMINGHAM IS SUFFERING IN A WHOLE LOT OF AREAS. UM, WITH THE HOMICIDE RATES UP, THE ASSAULTS ARE UP. UM, SO ADDING THAT PRESSURE, WE HAVE TO ALSO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE COMMUNITY AS WELL, BECAUSE THAT WOULD ALSO SLOW DOWN POSSIBLE HELP COMING IN. NOW, I ASKED HALL IF THEY DECIDED TO HOLD OFF ON THE NO CONFIDENCE VOTE BECAUSE OF THAT STATE LEGISLATION. HE SAID THEY MADE THAT DECISION WELL BEFORE IT WAS ANNOUNCED. HE ALSO TOLD ME THIS EVENING THAT THE RECENT CHANGES IN BPD LEADERSHIP DEFUNDED TH