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YEAH. SO SHERRY GUY THE PROBLEM IS MORALE. THAT’S WHAT THE FOP VICE PRESIDENT TELLS ME. HE SAYS MORALE IS SO LOW THAT OFFICER. THAT’S WHY OFFICERS ARE LEAVING. AND THERE ARE MORE OFFICERS PREPARED TO LEAVE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE NOT OKAY WITH THIS 12 HOUR SHIFT. THEY SAY THEY ARE WORKING AND HE ALSO TELLS ME, TOO, THAT A FEW WEEKS AGO YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT WE REPORTED 296 OFFICERS OR POSITIONS NEEDED TO BE FILLED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. WELL, THAT THE FOP VICE PRESIDENT TELLS ME THAT THAT NUMBER NOW SITS AT 300. WE HAD A OFFICER TO LEAVE LAST WEEK, AND HE LEFT NOT BECAUSE HE TO MAKE MORE MONEY. HE, UH, HE HE BASICALLY STRICTLY SAID IT WAS ABOUT THE MORALE. LAWRENCE BILLUPS, THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR BIRMINGHAM’S FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE, SAYS THERE’S A LACK OF LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT’S ADMINISTRATION. GOSHEN. HE TELLS ME LAST YEAR HE ASKED THE CHIEF WHAT DIRECTION ARE THEY GOING IN? IT’S BEEN A YEAR SINCE I ASKED. WE DON’T KNOW WHERE WE’RE HEADED TO, AND THAT’S NOT HOW YOU LEAD MEN AND WOMEN BY NOT GIVING THEM THE DIRECTION. IAN SCOTT THURMOND WAS PICKED BY MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN TO BE POLICE CHIEF IN EARLY 2022, AFTER FORMER CHIEF PATRICK SMITH ABRUPTLY RESIGNED SHORTLY AFTER I INTERVIEWED THURMOND, ASKING HIM ABOUT MORALE IN THE DEPARTMENT. I’VE HEARD RUMORS THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE HAPPY, BUT I KNOW THEY’RE NOT. EVERYONE’S HAPPY. OF COURSE IT’S IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO PLEASE EVERYONE. TWO YEARS LATER, IT APPEARS PEOPLE STILL AREN’T HAPPY. THE THING WITH THURMOND, HE’S HE’S A GOOD PERSON. HE HAS A GOOD HEART. BUT HE LACKS LEADERSHIP SKILLS. BILLUPS SAYS IT’S GETTING HARDER TO RESPOND TO HOMICIDES AND FIGHT CRIME BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH OFFICERS, AND IT’S PUTTING THEM AT RISK. WE ARE A CRITICAL TIME NOW AND OUR HANDS HAVE TO BE ON DECK, AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE THESE STREETS BACK. WE’VE ALSO HEARD, TOO, THAT THAT THE MAYOR ACTUALLY JUST RESPONDED TO US IN RESPONSE TO THIS ISSUE. HE GAVE US A STATEMENT, AND I’LL READ IT TO YOU ON AIR HERE. HE WRITES, LET ME BE CLEAR, I SUPPORT BPD LEADERSHIP. FOP LEADERSHIP AND I ARE IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION. THEY UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES OUR OFFICERS FACE AND WE WORK IN TANDEM TO ADDRESS THEM. IT’S UNFORTUNATE THAT SOME MEMBERS OF FOP, THOSE WHO SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES AND NOT FOP AS A WHOLE, ARE CAUSING DISTRACTIONS AND NOT CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTIONS. WE HOPE THEY JOIN OUR EFFORTS IN BRINGING NEW RECRUITS TO THE FORCE AND SPEAKING OF RECRUITS, ONE THING THAT BILL UP BILLUPS BROUGHT UP TODAY WAS RECRUITING AND RETENTION. HE SAYS HE HAS PLANS TO MEET WITH THE MAYOR’S OFFICE AND WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH THE DEPARTMENT. S ADMINISTRATION ON THE FOP PLANS TO ADDRESS RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION ISSUES. HE SAYS THAT MEETING SHOULD BE HAPPENING SOON.