Following what Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys described as a “difficult weekend,” the Montgomery Police Department has announced new, stricter operational methods in order to crack down on crime.
Over the weekend of June 20, several events that threatened public safety occurred — a 13-year-old girl was shot and killed, a woman was injured in a shooting on Friday on Birmingham Highway, and a shooting incident happened downtown on Saturday night that resulted in no injuries, but did strike two buildings and damage a vehicle.
MPD planned to hold a briefing this week on progress the department has made this year, but Graboys said the events of this past weekend made it clear more needed to be done despite progress.
“It weighs on me, and it weighs on all of us at the police department,” Graboys said. “No one should be feeling unsafe anywhere in this city. Every homicide, every shooting, every crime, all of them are important. No matter who, where or when they take place, we will use every resource and man at our disposal to bring perpetrators to justice.”
What’s changing?
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed looks on as Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys gives a media briefing at the MPD headquarters in Montgomery, Ala., on Monday morning June 23, 2025.
Graboys said that in addition to developing “promising leads” to work toward solving the cases from the past weekend, specific changes will be coming to the Montgomery Police Department’s operations to “be more proactive” at targeting and suppressing crime.
Included in these changes are assignment changes, changed hours and off days to create increased coverage in “areas and times where it’s needed,” instituting targeted traffic enforcement details with checkpoints “with zero tolerance,” amped up technology that includes increased camera coverage in the city with the capability for facial recognition and license plate reading, and tactical police drones that the department will start using this summer.
“Each one of these crimes — especially the homicide, especially as a parent — has touched me in a way I am incredibly angry about,” Graboys said. “I won’t rest until they’re solved. …We want to make Montgomery a safer place to live and to visit, and we will not cease in that effort.”
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Sarah Clifton covers business for the Montgomery Advertiser. You can reach her at sclifton@montgome.gannett.com or follow her on X @sarahgclifton. To support her work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery police plan changes after ‘difficult’ crime weekend