WSFA 12: Mayor says crime in Montgomery is down, praises law enforcement for efforts

Rosanna Smith, WSFA 12

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Crime is down nearly 16% in the capital city, according to Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed.

Reed says the first three months of the year have seen a decrease in violent crime, homicides and non-fatal shootings.

He attributed this success to the hard work of the Montgomery Police Department, the Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit and other community partners.

While the mayor applauds the progress, he says there is still work to be done.

“We’re looking for different solutions, and we’re looking for a multitude of voices to help us save lives,” Reed says. “To make sure that we aren’t impacting lives and people in this community in a negative way, we want this to be a safe community whether you’re on the east side of Montgomery, or you’re on the north side of Montgomery or anywhere in between.”

He also praised lawmakers for passing a bill to ban Glock switches—devices that turn handguns into machine guns—on a state level.

Here are more detailed crime stats from the mayor’s office:

• Overall crime is down 15.6% 

• Violent crime is down nearly 25% 

• Nonviolent crime is down nearly 14%

• Homicides are down 7.4%

• Non-fatal shootings are down over 27%

“These results reflect the dedication of our officers, investigators, community partners and violence intervention teams,” said Reed.

So far in 2025, Montgomery police have opened 12 homicide investigations.

In addition to crime reduction, law enforcement has seized over 600 illegal firearms, including 12 Glock switches.

The mayor praised the Alabama Legislature for strengthening penalties against these devices but expressed disappointment over the failure to pass gun safety measures protecting children from unsecured firearms.

Read the original article here.