Mel Bailey

Arlie Melvin Bailey (born November 9, 1924; died August 29, 1997) was Jefferson County Sheriff for nine terms, serving from January 19, 1963 to April 5, 1996.

Bailey joined the Birmingham Police Department in 1946 as a bicycle patrolman. He was promoted to detective in 1953. He resigned in 1962 to run for Sheriff. When he took office, the department had 77 employees and an annual budget of $735,000.

Bailey retired in 1996 after suffering multiple strokes. At the time, his department had about 600 workers and a $28 million budget.

Bailey was inducted into the Alabama Peace Officers Hall of Fame in 1991. He died in 1996 and is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery. Jefferson County's Mel Bailey Criminal Justice Center in downtown Birmingham is named in his honor.

References

• "Longtime Jefferson County sheriff Mel Bailey is dead at age 72." (August 30, 1997) Associated Press/Tuscaloosa News