Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin taps Patrick Smith as new police chief
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin named Patrick Smith, a former Commander in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), as the new chief of police for the city during a press conference Monday afternoon. Smith, a Tuscaloosa-native, has more than 27 years law enforcement experience. He began working for the LAPD in 1990 as as officer. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 20017, and in 2010 was promoted to Captain. Most recently in 2015 he was promoted to Commander of the Police Sciences and Training Bureau where he oversaw all aspects of police training for the LAPD from recruit training to in-service training for tenured officers Shortly after the announcement, the Birmingham Police Department tweeted their welcome to the new chief. “Welcome aboard Chief Patrick D. Smith. We look forward to your leadership!” the department tweeted. Welcome aboard Chief Patrick D. Smith. We look forward to your leadership! pic.twitter.com/ScAgdF1SxU — Birmingham Police (@BhamPolice) June 4, 2018 The search for the Magic City’s new police chief began back in February with the city collecting applications from Feb. 1 to March 9. More than 50 candidates – both locally and across the nation – applied for the position. Those applicants were winnowed down to 11 finalists were invited to take part in an assessment process on March 19. There, participants were asked to handle a series of realistic leadership situations. Once those candidates completed the assessment process, a detailed review of their performance was conducted and the three finalists were selected, which Woodfin interviewed himself last month. Shortly State Rep. Allen Treadway, a veteran of the Birmingham Police Department, was named assistant chief. Watch Woodfin’s announcement below:
These are the 3 finalists for Birmingham’s new police chief
The search for the next Birmingham, Ala. police chief has been narrowed down to three finalists the city announced on Sunday. The search for the Magic City’s new police chief began back in February with the city collecting applications from Feb. 1 to March 9. More than 50 candidates – both locally and across the nation – applied for the position. Those applicants were winnowed down to 11 finalists were invited to take part in an assessment process on March 19. There, participants were asked to handle a series of realistic leadership situations. Once those candidates completed the assessment process, a detailed review of their performance was conducted and the three finalists were selected. Mayor Randall Woodfin is in the processing of interviewing the finalists this week. The finalists Malik Aziz: currently a division commander with the Dallas Police Department. He has more than 28 years law enforcement experience. Henry Irby III: currently a deputy chief with the Birmingham Police Department. He has more than 32 years law enforcement experience. Patrick D. Smith: currently a police commander with the Los Angeles Police Department. Has more than 27 years law enforcement experience.
