Patrick Smith

Patrick D. Smith (born c. 1963 in Tuscaloosa) is a former Los Angeles, California police executive, and the current Chief of the Birmingham Police Department.

Smith was the youngest of 13 children born to Jasper and Dorothy Smith, a foundry worker and Head Start teacher, respectively. He grew up attending First African Baptist Church and graduated from Tuscaloosa's Central High School. Afterward he spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including service in Japan and the Philippines. He completed his bachelor of science in business management, as well as a master of arts in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.

Smith joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1990. He was promoted training officer in 1994, to field sergeant in 1998, to assistant watch commander in 2001, and to lieutenant and watch commander in 2006. In 2007 Smith was made officer-in-charge of the department's internal affairs section. He was promoted to captain and assigned as a patrol commanding officer in 2010 and to police commander for the 10,000 member force in 2015.

After the retirement of A. C. Roper, incoming Mayor of Birmingham Randall Woodfin launched a national search for a new police chief. Smith was selected over deputy chief Henry Irby and Malik Aziz of Dallas, Texas. Allen Treadaway was appointed to the new position of Assistant Chief.

As chief, Smith has instituted several measures intended to increase police visibility, support effective investigations, and react quickly to crime "hot spots" with enhanced surveillance and checkpoints. He combined the homicide and robbery detectives' units into a "Crimes against Persons Division", changed the patrol schedule to four ten-hour shifts overlapping during high-crime periods, and implemented the "PredPol" predictive software platform to analyze time and location data from crime reports as a means of forecasting when and where resources will be most needed. He also lauded the work of the Jefferson County Metro Area Crime Center toward coordinating the work of various local law enforcement agencies.

Preceded by: Henry Irby (interim)

Chief of Birmingham Police Department June 25, 2018–present

Succeeded by: (current)

References

• Edgemon, Erin (June 4, 2018) "Birmingham mayor names police chief after 5 month search." The Birmingham News
• Robinson, Carol (June 28, 2018) "10 questions with new Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith." The Birmingham News
• Wright, Barnett (June 28, 2018) "Patrick Smith takes command as Birmingham’s new police chief" The Birmingham Times
• Prickett, Sam (January 6, 2019) "Police Fight Alabama’s Gun Culture, Stress Gun Safety Education in Effort to Reduce Violent Crime." Birmingham Watch