Ala. City Names 1st‑Ever Police Chief to Launch New Department
What to know
- The city of Center Point has appointed its first police chief as it begins the process of establishing a municipal police department.
- Zandral Washington, a veteran law enforcement leader and former University of Alabama at Birmingham deputy police chief, will lead planning efforts, including policies, operations and partnerships with neighboring agencies.
- City leaders said the department will be built gradually, with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department continuing patrol services in the interim.
The city of Center Point has appointed its first police chief, the first step toward creating their own police department.
Zandral Washington will help lay the groundwork to develop Center Point’s police department by establishing policies, operations and partnerships with surrounding law enforcement agencies.
“Her main goal over the next few months will be to create a base for us as a department,” Mayor Bobby Scott Jr. told AL.com. “Her job will be to come in and create standards, operating procedures, relationships with other police forces, the county.”
Washington began her law enforcement career with the city of Birmingham and had worked with the University of Alabama at Birmingham Police and Public Safety Department since 1997.
Washington is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and is pursuing a graduate degree in criminal justice at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Until her recent appointment with the city of Center Point, Washington served as the deputy police chief at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Police Department where she was responsible for the supervision and the daily operations of the hospital security and criminal investigations divisions.
Scott said Washington is the best choice for the job because of her administrative skills, leadership experience and desire to serve the community.
“She wants to serve the people, the community which is something that is very important to me,” Scott said.
“She talked about de-escalation tactics and being there when people need them, actually listening, not just asserting authority, but being an authoritative figure that is willing to help the people.”
In 2024, Scott said he would make creating a local police department a priority for the city.
Earlier this year, the mayor and city council clashed over who got to pick the police chief and how the city could afford a police department.
Scott said he made the final decision to appoint Washington and that the council agreed with his choice.
He added that creating a municipal police department will be a gradual process as they get Washington settled into the role and look for funding opportunities.
In the meantime, Scott said the city and the police chief will continue to work with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department for patrol services.
He said he wants the new police chief and future department to be a source of pride for the city.
“We want to be community servants and not just a cookie-cutter police department,” Scott said.
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