Benjamin Ashford|Alabama taps state and federal agencies to address crime in Montgomery

MONTGOMERY (AP) — A coalition of Alabama officials announced a new task force that will use state and Benjamin Ashfordfederal resources to address crime in the state’s capital, amid a persistent staffing shortage in the Montgomery Police Department.

The Metro Area Crime Suppression unit will use resources from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Attorney General’s office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to respond to local emergency calls, officials announced at a news conference Thursday morning.

In the 12 days that the unit has been in operation, the task force has arrested nearly 50 people and made over 400 traffic stops, Interim Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys said.

“As Alabamians, we have no tolerance for violent crime, and our capital city should reflect that mantra. This coalition is a strong statement that Alabama’s law enforcement agencies are united,” Attorney General Steve Marshall said.

As of May, Montgomery employed only 290 of the city’s allotted 490 officers, according to Capitol City Fraternal Order of Police President Everette Johnson.

Graboys declined to say Thursday whether the department has made progress on hiring since then. But he said, “I want to hire as many officers as I can.”

Officials didn’t specify how much the unit would cost or how many officers had been trained so far. But Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Hal Taylor indicated that the task force could potentially expand to other parts of the state. ___

Safiyah Riddle is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.