Northport Aims To Address Violence After Recent Fatal Shooting

NORTHPORT, AL — The City of Northport is looking to take additional measures to combat violent crime, following the city's most recent fatal shooting last week that resulted in the death of a high school student.

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Northport City Administrator Glenda Webb, along with Police Chief Gerald Burton, discussed proposed next steps during the City Council's Public Safety Committee meeting on Monday.

Among these briefly-discussed proposals was the possibility of more take-home vehicles for officers, in addition to the purchase of at least two more Flock cameras. The technology, which is currently used by the City of Northport, provides for "automatic license plate reading cameras, machine learning software, and real-time alerts," according to the company.

"It's not a Big Brother thing, like a continuous video," Burton said. "We may look at asking the city to fund a couple more. They’re needed ... They are far more valuable than you would believe."

In its sales pitch for its widely-used products, Flock Safety cites data asserting that 7 in 10 crimes are committed with a vehicle. To the company's point, both of the two most-recent fatal shootings that have occurred in Northport involved suspects fleeing the scene in vehicles.

City officials also reportedly met with District Attorney Hays Webb on Monday about addressing violent crime, in addition to touring each of the properties under the purview of the Northport Housing Authority.

The analysis of the properties, the city administrator said, concluded that the lighting and camera coverage of the NHA's housing projects are sufficient, apart from a few recommended "tweaks."

City Administrator Glenda Webb also pointed out that much of the violent crime seen in Northport has been the result of a "spillover" effect from Tuscaloosa.

The push comes following a pair of fatal shootings in the last six months that have left two 16-year-old Tuscaloosa County High School students dead in separate, unrelated incidents. Both cases resulted in capital murder charges for those suspected, but left the community shaken and demanding action.

Burton then pointed to the October 2021 murder of Trinity Shannon, who was shot in the passenger seat of a car in the drive-thru at Wendy's on McFarland Boulevard.

He said with crimes of passion, they are obviously impulsive in nature and difficult to police, making them nearly impossible to prevent. Burton did, however, say the violence in the community was not lost on city officials.

"We are taking steps with the district attorney," Burton said. "He’s very concerned."

Indeed, District Attorney Hays Webb has been vocal in his support of the Alabama Supreme Court recently amending the state’s bail order by raising the bond cap for a murder charge from $150,000 to $1.5 million.

“Frequently, people would say ‘hey look, there’s a $1.5 million bond on a trafficking case but only a $100,000 or $150,000 bond on a murder. How did that happen?’” Webb told WVUA 23 News last week. “I think this was intended to say that murder is at least as dangerous as trafficking, and the bond amount ought to be at least the equivalent of that.”

Click here to see Webb's full interview with WVUA 23 on the subject.

The Northport City Council's next regular meeting is set for Monday, Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m. Be sure to follow us for more updates from the meeting.

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