Walt Maddox announces public safety plan

On Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox announced his plan to improve public safety throughout Alabama.

Since 2010 roadway fatalities in our the Yellowhammer State have risen a whopping 155%, while at the same time Alabama has dropped State Trooper staffing to a third of its recommended level.

According to the State Troopers Association, fewer than 300 Troopers patrol the entire state, a number that should be closer to 750 according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), and should be more than 1000 according to the Center for Advanced Public Safety at the University of Alabama.

According to Maddox, this means:

• Big trucks speed through Alabama with impunity
• Drunk drivers go undetected
• Drug and human traffickers face little risk of arrest
• Overweight vehicles tear up our roads
• Those in need of emergency assistance have much longer wait times because at current staffing many Troopers have to cover multiple counties.

Maddox has a plan to remedy that problem and hopes to improve those facts.

“In the City of Tuscaloosa, where I’ve been mayor since 2005, we’ve had tremendous success in promoting and improving public safety. Over the past 10 years, my administration has overseen a 45 percent decrease in burglaries, 42 percent decrease in auto thefts, 35 percent decrease in murders, and 18 percent decrease in robberies,” said Maddox. “Tuscaloosa Police Department is one of the best trained and equipped law enforcement agencies in Alabama.”

Read his full plan here.

This article was originally published on The Alabama Today.