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Birmingham City Mayor Randall Woodfin recently highlighted positive progress in Birmingham’s $16 million police recruitment initiative. Since Nov. 16, 111 individuals have expressed interest in joining the Birmingham Police Department.
All 111 candidates have gone through physical ability and agility screenings.
The first session, held on Nov. 16, saw 23 participants, with seven passing and 16 failing. A second screening on Dec. 14 saw 45 candidates, 29 of whom passed and 16 failed. Most recently, on Jan. 18, 43 individuals underwent the screening, resulting in 22 passes and 21 failures.
“So, just a little math and some other things that were picked up since November 2024, currently there are 52 candidates being vetted for the hiring process for the March class police academy,” said Woodfin.
Two weeks ago, 10 officers graduated from the police academy, and Woodfin reported that they are currently vetting an additional 10 officers who would be transferring laterally.
This weekend, BPD will hold another physical agility test. This will be the last opportunity for individuals to begin a career with the department by early March.
Currently, there are 28 individuals in their academy class who will finish in April, and BPD is eager to see new candidates this weekend as they prepare to launch the next class.
The 2025 recruit academy sessions are scheduled for March 25, July 29 and Nov. 18.
“The bottom line is that we’re making an impact. We have a recruiting class coming up in March, another one in July, and another one in November. So, if the trend continues, we’ll have made a significant impact on our police numbers,” Birmingham City Council President Darrell O’Quinn said.
Council members also pointed to the Grinding Resilience Intensity Training aimed at helping those who fail the initial screenings. This initiative offers preparation for candidates to retake the academy tests in the future through training four times a week.
