University Of Alabama Names Scott Thurmond As New Police Chief

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The University of Alabama Police Department has named former deputy chief and longtime police executive Scott Thurmond as its new police chief.

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Thurmond has been served as interim chief since August 2025 following the resignation of former UAPD Chief John Hooks that summer, as Patch previously reported. UAPD says he brings more than 25 years of policing experience, including serving as chief of the Birmingham Police Department from 2022 to 2024.

Thurmond will now lead day-to-day operations and implement goals, policies, procedures and standards, while overseeing field operations that include the Patrol and Traffic Divisions, Off-Campus Unit, Canine Unit, special event planning, and other operational functions of the department.

He will also review police policies and make recommendations for changes.

Thurmond began his career at the Birmingham Police Department in 1998 and served in command positions in the Patrol and Investigative Bureaus before being named chief of police in January 2022.

He is a 2023 graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute and in 2024 received the FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Award for completing supervisor, command and executive leadership training.

Thurmond holds a Bachelor of Science in sociology from the University of Montevallo.

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