Birmingham Police Chief

The Chief of Police is the highest-ranking officer in the Birmingham Police Department and the top law enforcement official in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. The chief oversees all sworn officers and civilian staff, sets departmental policy and priorities, and reports to the Mayor’s administration.

The Role of the Chief

The Birmingham Police Chief is responsible for the overall direction of the department, including patrol operations, criminal investigations, recruitment and training, community policing initiatives and the department’s budget and strategic planning. The chief represents the department publicly, coordinates with other agencies such as the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and state authorities, and is accountable for the city’s crime-reduction strategy. In Birmingham, the chief is appointed by the Mayor rather than elected.

How the Chief Is Appointed

Because Birmingham operates under a mayor-council form of government, the police chief serves as an appointee of the executive branch. The Mayor selects the chief, who then leads the department within the policies and budget set by the administration and approved by the City Council. This structure ties the department’s leadership to the elected mayor while keeping council oversight of funding and major decisions.

Current Chief

As of 2026, the Birmingham Police Department is led by Chief Michael Pickett. A longtime veteran of the department who joined in the mid-2000s, Pickett served as Interim Chief beginning in late 2024 and was named permanent Chief of Police by Mayor Randall Woodfin on April 1, 2025. He succeeded former chief Scott Thurmond following his retirement.

Priorities Under the Current Chief

Since taking the role, Chief Pickett has emphasized violent-crime reduction, implementing a multi-point crime-reduction plan and community-engagement programs, including youth-focused initiatives. The administration has reported significant reductions in homicides and violent crime during his tenure. Other recurring priorities for a Birmingham chief include officer recruitment and retention, technology and data-driven policing, and strengthening the relationship between officers and the neighborhoods they serve.

Command Structure

Below the chief, the department’s command staff includes deputy and assistant chiefs and precinct commanders who oversee Birmingham’s four precincts and specialized investigative units. Together they manage day-to-day operations across the city. This layered structure lets the chief set strategy while commanders handle the operational detail within each precinct and bureau.

Accountability and Oversight

While the chief leads the department, the role operates within a system of checks. The mayor who appoints the chief is answerable to voters, the City Council controls the department’s budget, and internal mechanisms such as Internal Affairs review conduct complaints. This layered accountability is intended to keep the department responsive both to the administration’s priorities and to the public it serves.

What a Police Chief’s Day Involves

A municipal police chief balances strategy with operations: reviewing crime data and trends, meeting with command staff and city officials, representing the department to the community and the media, overseeing major incidents and investigations, and steering longer-term efforts in recruitment, training and technology. In a city the size of Birmingham, the chief also serves as a key public face for the department, communicating its priorities and explaining its response to significant events.

Contacting the Chief’s Office

Inquiries for the Office of the Chief of Police can be directed through police headquarters at 205-254-1700, located at 1710 1st Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203. Community-related matters can also be routed through Community Services at 205-933-4175.

Frequently Asked Questions