Tuscaloosa Mayor Rolls Out Plan For 'Project Unity'

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — A new multifaceted effort was proposed Tuesday by Mayor Walt Maddox that would see a major push in promoting community policing if approved by the City Council at its next regular meeting a week from Tuesday. Titled "Project Unity," the initiative was inspired over the last two months of local conversations amid nationwide unrest concerning policing tactics and inclusivity for minorities in their communities.

"It certainly goes in step with the core beliefs of our city," Maddox said during a special called meeting of the council's Public Safety Committee Tuesday afternoon. "Following the murder of George Floyd, we saw a lot of energy, passion and a lot of people of good faith who want to see something happen and the thing about making City Hall do more is that it ultimately has to be transformed from passion to policy."

Click here to read the full proposal.

City leaders involved with Project Unity solicited suggestions from the community and received numerous responses ranging from increasing elementary school programs by the Tuscaloosa Police Department to enhancing street lighting and addressing blight.

To work through the slate of issues and vast input from the community, Maddox proposed the creation of two boards to take on different components of the overall mission of Project Unity. For example, the Mayor’s Alliance for Opportunity and Advancement will take on education, housing and neighborhood revitalization, economic and workforce development and youth sports and recreation.

The expressed mission of the Mayor's Alliance is " to enhance educational, economic, housing and recreational opportunities while reducing crime, poverty and blight that disproportionately impacts the underserved communities in Tuscaloosa."

Maddox said youth sports, particularly in the western portion of the city, was a consistent talking point from many in the community expressed during recent meetings.

"The dearth of athletics programs, especially in western Tuscaloosa, is not just embarrassing, it should be morally unacceptable," he said. "The city has outsourced our recreation for decades, whether it's PARA or the YMCA ... I believe the moment is now for us to take a more direct approach."

One example of this direct approach could see the Benjamin Barnes Branch of the YMCA transformed into a "premier athletic center," the mayor's proposal said.

Community activist Qadeem Ali Hassan, who has been a vocal proponent for change in the community, was one of the names tapped for the Education Subcommittee and told Patch that he is excited to see what the initiative can accomplish to better the city of Tuscaloosa.

"A lot of people have wanted change in the community, specifically the West End of town, who deserves much better than they have received in the past," he said. "Being able to help in education is a huge deal and the first step into creating a promising path for the youth of our city.”

If approved, another board — the Chief’s Commission for Community Policing — would also focus on officer recruitment, training, retention, and community outreach.

Maddox said the goal of the Chief's Commission is to institutionalize a culture that is community-driven and focused on building positive relationships while better-equipping officers for the nuances of a dangerous job.

Part of this approach, Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley said, would be the purchase of a 360-degree deescalation simulator that would be paid for through the department's technology fund and come at no cost to the City Council. An officer using the simulator would walk in, with a trainer or instructor off to the side, and be faced with a responsive simulation that presents different situations tailored to the participant's reaction.

"We hope the Council will come see how a split-second decision is made," the police chief said. "It’s not only for our officers, but for our community as well."

BREAKING IT DOWN

The Mayor's Alliance will be made up of 40 members divided into four subcommittees. Each subcommittee is comprised of 10 members and City Council members will also serve ex-officio. Mayor's Alliance members must also reside in the city of Tuscaloosa and have a level of expertise in the related subject matter.

Conversely, the Chief's Commission will consist of 16 members divided into two subcommittees of eight. As is the case with the Mayor's Alliance, members must reside in the city and possess expertise. However, they will also be required to complete the Citizen’s Police Academy and two ride-alongs a year. Their initial terms will be staggered with no member able to serve more than two consecutive three-year terms.

The responsibilities of the committees will be to provide comprehensive recommendations to the Tuscaloosa City Council due by May 2, 2021. All of the meetings will be subject to the Alabama Open Meetings Act and all documents must comply with Alabama public records law. Members will also be required to complete ethics training and maintain 80% attendance.

As part of the Chief's Commission, Maddox is also recommending a deputy chief for community policing be hired for the Tuscaloosa Police Department.

"Community policing has got to be more than saying you want to connect with the community," he said. "It has to be focused, it has to be strategic, and it has to be intentional every single day and we will have to do that with our personnel within TPD to make that happen."

Chief Blankley agreed, saying there are assistant chiefs in his department already managing numerous aspects of day-to-day police work, but no supervisor solely focused on community policing and engagement.

"I can’t dedicate a person that can speak for my department just to community policing," Blankley said. "That’s what the community wants and what the community needs ... someone the community already trusts. That’s essential to all of this, so I hope you will go along with that recommendation."

The recommendations at the local level will be heard by members of the city's Public Safety Committee at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18 and will be considered before moving on to a full City Council vote for approval.

A Committee Kick-Off Meeting is tentatively set for Sept. 16.

BROADER MEASURES

Another series of initiatives will require passage by the Alabama Legislature, with one measure drastically changing how lower-level offenses are handled in their initial stages.

One component that has been advocated on the City Council in recent years would allow police to issue citations for municipal code violations and minor misdemeanor offenses, such as marijuana possession. Offenders would still be held accountable under sentencing laws for the offenses, but would not be placed under custodial arrest. The rationale, Maddox explained, would be to avoid placing further strain on officers during certain situations, while freeing up needed space in the county jail for the offenders who require incarceration.

"I think we may have gotten it passed this year, if not for COVID," said associate city attorney Scott Holmes, who was asked to speak on the measure.

Holmes then explained the issue involves officer safety and city liability, before stressing offenders would still be prosecuted as normal.

Another facet of the measures requiring legislative approval would seek an amendment to the 2011 Tuscaloosa Pre-Trial Diversion Act to allow funds to be appropriated for the expansion of TPD’s Mental Health Unit and investment into early intervention programs.

Holmes said the law allows first-time, minor offenders to pay a diversion fee and carry out the sentencing requirements for that charge. The money collected is then divided three ways, with 50% going to the city's general fund, 25% to police training and technology and another 25% to the city's indigent treatment fund.

"[The indigent treatment fund] is so specific and so limitedly-defined that the money is almost unspendable," Holmes said, before saying the city would like to loosen the earmarks up to then use the money raised to expand TPD’s Mental Health Unit, along with investing in early intervention programs.

Holmes pointed out that since this measure is a local act, if the local delegation were to get on board, then it would be possible to make this amendment as opposed to a statewide bill.

A third measure requiring a favorable vote by the Alabama Legislature would seek to allow technology to be utilized to address property code violations and to allow for enforcement by non-sworn personnel.

"The beautiful thing about this process is it's just the beginning," Maddox said. "There’s no idea that’s been etched in concrete."