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GETTING TO WORK IN HOPES OF REDUCING CRIME RATES ALL ACROSS THE STATE AND IT ALSO INCLUDES A STATE REPRESENTATIVE FROM OUR AREA, �������� 13 S JARVIS ROBERTSON JOINS US LIVE IN STUDIO. WHAT IS THIS COMMITTEE, JARVIS, AND HOW DOES IT INTEND TO WORK? WELL, STATE REPRESENTATIVE ALLEN TREADAWAY SAYS THAT HE WAS APPOINTED TO A SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS CRIME IN URBAN ALABAMA AREAS, SPECIFICALLY BIRMINGHAM AND MONTGOMERY. NOW, HE TOLD ME, OTHER STATE LAWMAKERS ARE FED UP WITH VIOLENT CRIME THAT IS HAPPENING IN THOSE CERTAIN AREAS. THIS ALSO TIES IN WITH SENATE BILL THREE THAT WAS FILED ON THE 12TH OF LAST MONTH THAT WOULD ALLOW THE STATE TO TAKE OVER A MUNICIPAL MUNICIPALITIES, POLICE DEPARTMENT. WE’RE VERY SERIOUS ABOUT THE VIOLENT CRIME THAT WE’RE SEEING IN ALABAMA, A TASK THAT STATE REPRESENTATIVE ALLEN TREADAWAY SAYS CITY, COUNTY, STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS WILL HANDLE. HE SAYS IT’S TIME TO TAKE ACTION AND GET PERPETRATORS OFF THE STREET, OR CRIME WILL KEEP MULTIPLYING. WHAT’S VERY ALARMING HERE IS THE ABILITY TO, UH, SOLVE THESE CRIMES. SO MANY OF THESE CRIMES THAT WE DON’T REALLY TALK ABOUT ARE NOT BEING CLEARED, WHICH MEANS FAMILIES ARE NOT GETTING CLOSURE. AND THAT STATE LAWMAKERS WILL START INTRODUCING A NUMBER OF PIECES OF LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. FOR MYSELF, I’M CONCERNED WITH THE REVOLVING DOOR OF POLICE CHIEFS THAT ARE BEING HIRED AND, UH, BOTH THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM AND, UH, THE CITY OF MONTGOMERY. WE INITIALLY SHUNNED THE LIGHT ON JUST HOW MANY OFFICERS THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS SHORT OF NEARLY 300. TREADAWAY BELIEVES THAT IS ALSO A FACTOR TO THE HIGH CRIME VOLUME, AND THERE HASN’T BEEN A POSITIVE GAIN IN YEARS. I THINK THE NUMBERS ARE WORSE THAN WHAT’S BEING REPORTED TO BE QUITE FRANK WITH YOU, UH, YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM AND IT’S NOT TOO MANY YEARS AGO WHEN YOU HAD ALMOST DOUBLE THE OFFICERS ON THE STREET. AND WHAT DID YOU HAVE AS FAR AS HOMICIDES WERE CONCERNED? THEY WERE IN THE 50S. THE COST OF CRIME HAS CAUSED THE STATE TO MISS OUT ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHICH LEGISLATORS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT, TREADAWAY SAID. CORPORATIONS HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO COME HERE FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. WHAT ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES HAVE WE LOST BECAUSE OF CRIME RATES HERE IN BIRMINGHAM? WELL, JUST TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, WHERE EVERYTHING IS COMING TO ALABAMA. WHERE IS THE MAJORITY OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOING? IT’S GOING TO THE MOBILE AREA AND HUNTSVILLE. IF THE STATE WAS TO TAKE OVER THE POLICE FORCE, THE INTERIM CHIEF WOULD BE APPOINTED BY GOVERNOR KAY IVEY OR ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL, THE STATE WANTS TO TAKE OVER. HOW LONG DO YOU THINK THAT INTERIM CHIEF WOULD BE IN PLACE? UNTIL THERE WAS A POSITIVE RESULTS GAIN FROM IT? NOW, TREADAWAY MADE IT CLEAR STATE LAWMAKERS ARE TIRED OF THE VIOLENT CRIME AND THE DECLINE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, ESPECIALLY HERE IN BIRMINGHAM. I ASKED HIM IF GOVERNOR KAY IVEY WOULD BE CALLING A SPECIAL SESSION TO PASS SENATE BILL THREE, WHICH ALLOWS THE STATE TO TAKE OVER A POLICE FORCE. HE SAID THAT HE’S HEARD RUMORS. I ALSO ASKED HIM IF HE’S HAD A CONVERSATION WITH MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC LEGISLATION. HE SAID NO. HOWEVER, THEY HA