Birmingham Police, Federal Agencies Discuss Joint Approach to Crime Reduction

By ABC 33/40

BIRMINGHAM — Birmingham police say a push to work more closely with federal law enforcement is leading to a significant increase in cases being prosecuted federally as the city targets violent offenders, illegal firearms and other serious crimes.

Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett joined U.S. Attorney Phillip Williams Jr. and representatives from several federal law enforcement agencies Thursday to outline the partnership, which is part of Pickett’s 8-Point Crime Reduction Plan.

Pickett said Birmingham previously averaged roughly 30 cases a year that were adopted for federal prosecution. He said that number has now grown to around 70 annually.

“In short, the collaboration between the federal partners, our U.S. Attorney’s Office and BPD, it is resulting in more adoptable federal cases,” Pickett said.

According to numbers presented Thursday, the partnership has resulted in 165 federal indictments since 2024. Of those cases, officials said 75 people have been sentenced, seven have sentences pending and four have entered guilty pleas. Another 20 cases are currently in the hands of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Pickett said cases being considered for federal prosecution include felons accused of possessing firearms, cases involving machine gun conversion devices commonly known as “switches,” carjackings, robberies and federal drug offenses.

The effort involves the Birmingham Police Department working alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Secret Service.

Eric Salvador with the FBI said bringing those agencies together allows investigators to use resources that may not otherwise be available to a single department. “These partnerships allow us to share information, combine resources and move quickly when a violent criminal threat threatens our community,” Salvador said. “Every partner brings something different.”

Pickett said those relationships extend beyond determining which cases can be prosecuted federally. He pointed to the agencies’ response to a mass shooting in Birmingham as an example of federal resources being used during a major investigation.

“Of course we’re familiar with the mass shooting that we had,” Pickett said. “And during that time I will say those relationships paid dividends when we worked that case of the mass shooting.” Pickett said Birmingham investigators leaned on assistance from federal partners as they worked the case.

Officials said agencies routinely communicate and screen cases to determine whether state or federal prosecution is the most appropriate route. The effort is intended to match cases with charges and potential sentences that authorities believe best fit the alleged crimes.

Williams said the partnership is also intended to send a clear message to people committing violent crimes in Birmingham/ “My message to the criminals who would seek to do harm to our communities is that they will find you and we will prosecute you because we are indeed a united front,” he said.

Williams also urged Birmingham residents to recognize what he described as progress being made through the partnership.

“My message to the good citizens of Birmingham is you need to tell your friends and neighbors that good things are indeed happening,” Williams said.

While Thursday’s press conference focused largely on federal law enforcement, Pickett said investigators still depend heavily on cooperation from people in Birmingham.

“While this press conference is focusing on our federal relationships, we cannot do this work without the community,” Pickett said. “We greatly appreciate you for supporting us, for being patient with us when it’s time to be patient with us.”

The increased cooperation with federal agencies is one component of Pickett’s broader 8-Point Crime Reduction Plan, with the federal partnership specifically focused on increasing coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and identifying more cases eligible for federal prosecution.