Veteran Alabama lawman dies after COVID-19 battle
A veteran Alabama lawman who led the state’s department of public safety and Birmingham Police Department has died from complications linked to COVID-19. Chief William Michael “Mike” Coppage had been fighting the coronavirus for several weeks before succumbing on Friday, AL.com reported. He was 71. Coppage formerly served as chief of the Birmingham Police Department, director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety, director of Public Safety and Emergency Management at Samford University, and as an Irondale city councilman. “Mike was not just a great leader but was an amazing public servant. During my tenure as chief, he was extremely supportive and was quick to offer a word of encouragement,” said former Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper. “He understood the mantle of leadership and his legacy will live on throughout the metropolitan area.” Coppage spent most of his adult life in public service, beginning with a stint in the U.S. Army where he was a military police officer and criminal investigator from 1970 to 1974. Under Coppage’s leadership, Birmingham experienced double-digit reductions in the city’s overall crime during his first two years in office and five years of consecutive declines including a 15-year low in overall crime rates in 2001. In 2003, Coppage was named as the colonel of the Alabama Department of Public Safety. He resigned from his state post in 2006 and returned to Irondale. In 2007, he was appointed to the Irondale City Council to fill a vacancy but did not seek reelection for the seat. In 2009, Coppage was named director of Public Safety and Emergency Management at Samford University. He remained in that position until his retirement in February 2012. “He was a mentor and a great leader,’′ said Fultondale Police Chief D.P. Smith, who worked with Coppage for more than 20 years and shared a friendship beyond policing. “You could always go to him when you had problems. He had great direction and ideas on how to serve the public.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Scuffle breaks out between Birmingham Mayor William Bell and Councilman Marcus Lundy
Birmingham Mayor William Bell and City Councilman Marcus Lundy got into a dustup in the mayor’s office during a City Council meeting Tuesday morning, according to the city police department. AL.com first reported that the incident may have been over a consultant with a pending contract with the city. Police Chief A.C. Roper responded to the scene at City Hall, where paramedics tended Bell, who came away with a swollen neck. Both Bell and Lundy were subsequently taken to the hospital. Originally reports indicated Lundy grabbed Bell to stop the mayor from leaving a back room where the two had been discussing the consultant. Council President Johnathan Austin, however, implied Tuesday afternoon that it was Bell who assaulted Lundy. Bell was said to have contacted Regions, Lundy’s employer, to say the councilman ought to be fired, but Bell disputed that account. Both men were escorted to the hospital by police Tuesday morning, Roper said. “Violence is never the answer regardless of the location,” Roper said. “It’s extremely concerning, not just for me, but for our entire city so we’ll conduct a thorough investigation and try to get to the bottom of exactly what happened and what precipitated this incident.” Birmingham police said they are considering pressing charges against one or both men. Council President Austin said Lundy will press charges against Bell, but wouldn’t say who he thought began the fight. A photo provided by Austin, seen below, shows blood and scratches on the back of Lundy’s leg. It’s unclear at this time just how Lundy received the injuries. “We have worked continuously to move this city forward, and it’s a sad day when council members are attacked while trying to do the job that they were elected to do,” Austin said Tuesday afternoon. Bell received CT and MRI scans at a Birmingham hospital. The city’s official Twitter account Tuesday evening read simply, “Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers.” For more on the developing story, see Police report blames Marcus Lundy for starting fight with William Bell; charges pending. Hear audio footage of the dustup here.
