Birmingham Police Chief Job Down To Three Candidates

BIRMINGHAM, AL - A field that once included 51 applicants for Birmingham's Chief of Police has been narrowed down to three candidates.

Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin interviewed the candidates April 22 and 23, and is expected to make a hire this month. The finalists were selected from a pool of 11 applicants invited to take part in an assessment process on March 19. An assessment center was created for participants to handle a series of realistic leadership situations. Once those candidates completed the assessment process, a detailed review of their performance was conducted.

The three finalists are:

• Malik Aziz, a division commander with the Dallas Police Department with about 28 years of law enforcement experience.
• Henry Irby III, currently a deputy chief with the Birmingham Police Department, with more than 32 years of law enforcement experience
• Patrick D. Smith, a police commander with the Los Angeles Police Department, with 27 years of experience

“We want to identify the best person to lead the Birmingham Police Department,” Woodfin said. “This national search enabled us to look at candidates from across the country and now we will take a close look at the finalists in this process.”

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