Tag Archives: Crime

Area taxis become latest tool in efforts to fight crime

T.O.P. in BaltimoreThe next time you see one of the city’s Yellow Cabs rolling through Birmingham city streets, realize they might be doing a little more than just heading to their next fare. They’re probably helping keep your neighborhood safe.

The Birmingham News reported early Monday morning about the new Taxis on Patrol initiative underway courtesy of the city’s police department and Yellow Cab of Birmingham. It’s not the first civic-minded initiative undertaken by the company as it’s also coordinated a Safe Ride Home initiative popular during the holiday season in recent years.

A similar project started in Baltimore, MD in the 1970s. Recent success in Denver, CO has resulted in an increased amount of adoption across the country, including communities like Broward County, FL; Nassau County, NYSavannah, GA; and Toledo, OH.

While our local effort is based on the Citizens on Patrol initiative, the recent announcement could also be seen as part of a larger effort underway by the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Foundation (TLPF) to see a broader adoption of the Transportation On Patrol (TOP) educational program nationwide – one that’s been underway since last April.

Photo: Yellow Cab with T.O.P. badge in Baltimore, MD, April 2012.

A new Batman for Birmingham

bhambatmanSomeone has donned the mask of the Caped Crusader, if only virtually, for the Magic City. This one hopes that they can make people aware of what’s going on around them in terms of crime.

Birmingham Batman has recently re-appeared as a MySpace profile that connects to a Spotcrime.com map of the area. The profile also includes an widget that pulls the RSS feed from our local Crimestoppers site. According to the profile, comments will be limited to information relevant to dealing with Birmingham crime. We don’t know who it is (though we wish we’d done it first 🙂 ), but we’re hoping that folks will take advantage of it. We’re thinking the original would be proud (we talked about him here in 2007), though we’re not sure…

Birmingham’s curfew crackdown starts today

Time's Up - Sérgio Jardim/Flickr

Birmingham’s revised city-wide curfew goes into effect today. The changes in punishment were recommended by Mayor Larry Langford, in order to address recent crimes involving teenagers. Under the new law, all minors 17 years old and younger must not be on city streets between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekdays or between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekends. First time offenders will be subject to a fine of $500. Repeat violators must appear in court and subject to higher fines, possible jail time or community service for themselves and their parents. Continue reading

APT reflects on Birmingham this month

Southern Museum of Flight - Alabama Public Television

Southern Museum of Flight is the focus of one of the stories being told this month on Alabama Public Television’s “Alabama Stories.” Special to The Terminal.

Throughout the month of March, Alabama Public Television will have shows focusing on the city of Birmingham. “These stories are unique and they will give a different focus on the city,” said Kathie Martin, Assistant VP at Alabama Public Television. The shows will look at topics including Birmingham’s crime rate, the city’s Irish and Celtic heritage, and Alabama’s involvement in the “Bay of Pigs” invasion. Martin says that people need to know the history of not just Birmingham, but the entire state.

“A lot people may not know that Alabama played a big role in the “Bay of Pigs”, or they may need to know [about] the crime rate in Birmingham because they have children that attend schools like UAB or Jefferson State,” said Martin. Two of the pieces will be featured on the network’s series “Alabama Stories.”

Continue reading

Rep. Davis holds crime forum tonight

U.S. Congressman Artur Davis will be hosting the Save Our Streets Crime Prevention Forum tonight beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Birmingham City Council Chambers.

The forum comes as a result of recently released FBI crime statistics indicating Birmingham ranked 8th in the nation in homicides and 18th in violent crime. Congressman Davis hopes that the forum will allow for the exchange of information and best practices about how to begin taking back our communities.

Panelists will include:

  • Chief A.C. Roper, Birmingham Police Department
  • Kenneth Kaiser, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Fred Grebauer, New York City Mayor’s Office
  • Lt. Col. James Whalen, Cincinnati Police Department
  • Rachel Laser, Third Way

Friday, it’s the women’s turn

10 in 30 women only logoThe mayor’s office has already announced the next 10/30 Summit dealing with crime in the city of Birmingham. This time it will be a women’s only crowd at Fair Park Arena on Leap Year Day, February 29, beginning at 6 p.m.

Mayor Langford has issued his call to African-American women in the City of Birmingham on the city’s website (it’s currently item #3 in the newsroom loop on the front of the site), saying that “the women of this city have a fearless determination and we need their help and support to change our community.”