Birmingham Police Department

Birmingham PD or BPD is the police department of the city of Birmingham, Alabama, the biggest city in the state. It serves a large area and has several precincts to protect and serve the people of the city.

If you’re looking for important numbers of the BPD, you can find them on this link. However, for emergencies, always call 911.

Locations & Facilities

Birmingham Police Department has a headquarters in the center of Birmingham and a total of four precincts, each named for the geographical part of the city it covers and is located in. If you need to reach the PD, it’s best to contact the headquarters at 205-254-1700.

Headquarters

1710 1st Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203
205-254-1700

Birmingham Police Department headquarters can be found on 1st Avenue North, right in the city center. It’s close to the Birmingham Railroad Station and the Railroad Park Foundation, both of which are mainly to the south, just a block away. The headquarters building is easy to spot as the naming is right on the building. It has a beautiful mural in the back of the building, in front of the parking lot, promoting racial equality.

East Precinct

600 Red Lane Road
Birmingham, AL 35206
205-254-2685

Birmingham PD East Precinct is located in the North East of the city, in its suburbs. The precinct covers some 50 square miles and serves the needs of 81,000 people. It also maintains the Airport Precinct close to the Fred Shuttlesworth International Airport.

West Precinct

2236 47th Street Ensley
Birmingham, AL 35208
205-254-2683

Birmingham PD West Precinct can be found in the area called Central Park. The building is easy to recognize, and it is located right next to the Bill Harris Arena.

North Precinct

2600 31st Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35207
205-254-2860

Birmingham PD North Precinct is located in North Birmingham in a small and unimposing building. However, it’s easy to find as it’s on the corner of 31st Avenue North and 26th Street North.

South Precinct

1320 19th Street South
Birmingham, AL 35205
205-254-2793

Birmingham PD South Precinct can be found in the Five Points South area of the city. It serves a large area of around 46 square miles that expands all the way from Oxmoor Valley to Kingston and Inverness to Loveman Village.

Motto

To Protect & Serve

Jurisdiction

Birmingham Police Department or BPD serves the entire city of Birmingham, Alabama. In essence, the police officers here have 148.61 square miles to cover in two countries. The BPD serves more than 212,000 people, but the metro area of Birmingham is home to more than 1.1 million people.

The BPD has more than 900 police officers and more than 250 unsworn members who operate on an annual budget of around $90 million.

The Birmingham Police Department has three important bureaus:

  • Administrative Bureau
  • Investigative Bureau
  • Field Operations Bureau

History

Birmingham Police Department has a long and proud history that begins in 1871 when the first city government appointed the first City Marshal, O. D. Williams.

The PD was small back in those days and expanded slowly throughout the years. Thankfully, the years were calm, and it was only at the turn of the century when the first police officers lost their lives, two of them in a shootout after a robbery.

In the 30s and 40s, most of what the BPD did was investigating labor activities. The focus shifted in the 50s to civil rights activists, and in the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned in this police department.

Past Police Chiefs

  • John B. Webb
  • F. W. Beall
  • Frank Gafford
  • Thomas McDonald
  • Conrad Austin
  • George Bodeker
  • Martin Eagan
  • Luther Hollums
  • Jamie Moore
  • Bill Myers
  • Johnnie Johnson Jr
  • Annetta Nunn
  • A. C. Roper

The current Chief of Police is Patrick D. Smith, the 34th Chief who assumed command of the BPD in 2018.

Jobs

The BPD is usually open to new applicants for various positions in the department. You can learn about the available jobs, the qualifications you need, how to apply, and everything else about joining on the official website of the Birmingham PD.

Social Media & Website

Official Website
Facebook page
Twitter page 
Instagram page

You can contact the PD via email as well. Use BPDSuggestions@birminghamal.gov for suggestions and BPDHiring@birminghamal.gov if you want to apply for a position.

If you want to submit a tip and stay anonymous, you can do so at (205) 254-7777 or by using the website crimestoppersmetroal.com.