Today’s guest columnist is Graham Smith.
“The safety of the people shall be the highest law.” ~Cicero
Some people may feel because Mountain Brook is an upscale community that safety is not a concern.
In today’s world no one and no community can take safety for granted.
No community can truly thrive until its residents feel safe.
For this reason the Mountain Brook city government and our school system consistently place public safety as its top priority.
I believe that Mountain Brooks’ attention to detail, no matter how small, is what makes it a safe place to live.
Keeping our schools a safe space for learning–fundamental.
Showing local businesses that they can safely operate within the confines of our city–fundamental.
Allowing tourists and visitors to enjoy strolling our parks and villages safely–fundamental.
There is no aspect of life for our residents and visitors where security is not at the top of our priority list.
Mountain Brook consistently ranks as one of the safest cities in Alabama—it’s not by accident. Our Mayor, Council, City Manager, School System, Police and Fire Departments, Public Works, and most importantly, our residents, work extremely hard, together to achieve this mission.
Over the years we have made gains in public safety by focusing on the following five areas:
- A highly motivated and skilled police force
- Advanced training opportunities
- Sophisticated technology
- Well maintained infrastructure
- Strong resident involvement in crime abatement
Many of these goals are not costly to implement.
First, we work hard to ensure that our police officers want to work here. We look for people of integrity and a heart for public service. Fifty-eight percent of our officers have some sort of specialized certification – with many having multiple certifications.
We train, train, and train some more. Our officers received approximately four times what was legally required by the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission last year.
Patrol officers practice sound beat management techniques and regularly attend training designed to enhance patrol techniques and skills. Our detectives are trained in advanced techniques from a variety of sources including the Certified Investigative Academy at Jacksonville State University. All departments are up to date on current crime trends and seek out opportunities for positive contacts with citizens in an effort to build relationships.
And these relationships matter. Our residents, business partners, and neighboring jurisdictions serve as our eyes and ears, acting as a force multiplier. When everyone is vigilant and feels comfortable sharing concerns and information, it allows our department to stay ahead of criminal activity. The networks we have with neighboring cities and law enforcement partners facilitate more efficient resolution of investigations and apprehension of offenders.
Our Police and Fire Departments collaboratively held their second annual Community Night Out event this past fall. This event was about more than providing free food, entertainment, and a “touch-a-truck” to our residents. It served as yet another opportunity to bring our first responders and community together.
We invest heavily in cutting-edge technology. Mountain Brook has embraced modern surveillance tools such as Flock security cameras. These cameras capture vehicle details and can be cross referenced with law enforcement databases to pinpoint wanted vehicles. Not only do we use technology to avert crime, but we use it to help solve our investigations.
Having well-maintained infrastructure makes a difference. The city’s well-lit villages, reliable public services, and strong focus on urban planning contribute to a feeling of security. With our array of parks, walking trails, and local amenities, Mountain Brook encourages outdoor activities while keeping public spaces safe for everyone.
Ultimately, Mountain Brook’s safety doesn’t just come from statistics or technology—it comes from a shared commitment among residents, law enforcement, and local leaders to maintain a community where safety is a priority.
And not just a priority, but the fundamental priority.
Graham Smith serves on the Mountain Brook City Council. She is a member of the Leadership Birmingham Class of 2025, and the immediate past President of the Jefferson County City Councilor’s Coalition. She is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and holds an MBA from the University of Alabama.
David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).
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Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. dsher@comebacktown.com
Great article. Setting a good exame for others to follow.
“example”
Mountain Brook is an outstanding example. The challenge is being a leading community amidst so many different municipalities and counties. They are widespread and varied. If this article and information is spread around emphasizing that the cost may be modest and citizen participation plays a large part, then the chances are increased that the effect would take hold ultimately in the entire Metro area and perhaps even the state. My statement does come with a big question mark?
We do feel safe walking the Jamison trail, thank you Mountain Brook police force.
Oh please. Don’t be so quick to congratulate yourself. When you are the wealthiest community in the state and everyone has all of their material needs met for the present and the future it’s pretty easy to avoid property crimes and violent crime too, due to the stressless reality of financial security.
Financial crimes however are probably another issue. So is abuse of prescription drugs. I wonder how MB ranks in these areas? Does the MB police department track these as well?
I believe a more helpful article for this blog would be an overview of crime across all of Jefferson County, comparing and contrasting the FBI statistics and how different municipalities handle violent and property crime. From Fairfield to Mountain Brook and everything in between. Like it or not here in Nashville, because of our consolidated government our crime reports must include together both the wealthy and relatively crime-free neighborhoods and those that struggle with crime. In his presentation to our OLLI class on the Future of Nashville, the Chief of Police reported that violent crime has dropped significantly but property crime—especially auto theft—is up. I think an honest, countywide assessment would show similar statistics in Jeff Co, even if the OTM suburbs had to accept being lumped into the total.
Ms Smith,
Isn’t it interesting how you claim the wealthiest city in Alabama is taking advantage of cutting edge technology, but yet the live-streaming of council pre-meetings and meetings are rife with technical glitches, and even when they are available, they’re taken off YouTube within 12 hours? Not to mention your IT department has placed a singular microphone in the room, which makes meetings almost impossible to decipher?
How is this transparent? Hoover, Birmingham, Vestavia and Homewood leave their meetings up online for years. Perhaps you should work on allowing ALL citizens, including ones that work on Tuesday evenings to listen to what’s going on with their tax dollars and in their name? Otherwise, it makes it seem to the rest of us that you and the city clerk are deliberately hiding things from us.