Fairfield Police Department

From Bhamwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Fairfield Police patch.png

The Fairfield Police Department (officially the Fairfield Police and Court Department) served the City of Fairfield for 100 years, from its incorporation in 1919 until the city contracted with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office to take over patrol duties in 2019.

The Fairfield Police Headquarters was located at 5231 Court B Fairfield.

In 1940 two African-American men were shot and killed while in the custody of Fairfield police. Fairfield Tin Mill worker O. D. Henderson was beaten and shot after he reportedly knocked down a white worker outside the mill's office. A few weeks later, John Jackson was arrested when police responded to a complaint that a line of black theatergoers was blocking the entrance to a nearby shop. He was also shot and killed.

Fairfield has lost three officers in the line of duty. W. H. Coleman was killed on September 9, 1925. Myron Massey was shot to death on August 8, 1985. In 2006 Officer Mary Smith was shot to death while investigating a suspicious vehicle in the Vinesville neighborhood. Demetrius Jackson Jr was convicted of capital murder.

In July 2015 Roy Hunter, a custodian who worked at the department headquarters, was arrested for trafficking in firearms stolen from the police evidence room. He admitted the theft and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge.

Fairfield's tax revenues were crippled in 2015-2016 with the shutdown of U.S. Steel's Fairfield Works blast furnace and the closure of the city's Wal-Mart Supercenter. On March 11, 2016 the Fairfield City Council voted 4-0 in a special called meeting to disband the city's police department and seek law enforcement services from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Then Chief Leon Davis objected that the meeting was given with little notice and had concluded before its advertised start. Mayor Kenneth Coachman overruled the vote on the grounds that the department was his responsibility. Nevertheless, many of the department's investigative functions were turned over to the county.

In 2019 the City Council again approved an agreement for the Sheriff's Office to take over patrol duties. Most patrol officers were expected to transfer to the Sheriff's Department, with some staff remaining on the city payroll to handle administrative duties such as code enforcement

Chiefs

References

  • Robinson, Carol (March 11, 2016) "Fiscally strapped Fairfield votes to disband police department." The Birmingham News
  • Robinson, Carol (October 3, 2016) "Former police department janitor, 70, admits to smuggling, selling guns from evidence room." The Birmingham News
  • Robinson, Carol (September 26, 2019) "Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to take over 100-year-old Fairfield Police Department." The Birmingham News
Retrieved from "http://bhamwiki.com/w/index.php?title=Fairfield_Police_Department&oldid=204566"