Solutions for Montgomery shootings requires accountability in Alabama criminal justice system

The shooting in Montgomery this past week has rightly made the headlines with two shot and killed and 12 wounded in the state’s capital city. So far, there has been the arrest of one teenager related to the shootings, but more arrests are expected.

There has been a lot of finger pointing on how this happened in the center of the city’s entertainment district just blocks from Alabama’s State Capitol. But the crime in Montgomery has been rampant for years. Less than a month ago, there were five people murdered over one weekend in September in four different incidents. The crime had gotten so bad to the point that Governor Kay Ivey sent in a task force of Alabama State Troopers to work with local police to take on the violence. Even with some success, the city is still considered a dangerous city with violent and property crime rates above the state and national averages.

Thus, the question is what else can be done to protect the public in the city? With the city of Memphis, Tennessee receiving national guard troops this past week, there is talk about sending guardsman to Montgomery as well. However, If prosecutors and judges continue to allow a revolving door at the courthouse, then adding more law enforcement is just putting a band-aid on a larger problem. When felons are given weak plea deals and sentences allowing very little time, if any, in state prisons, then you end up with the same criminals committing more crime. The examples are so numerous because it happens in courthouses every week in Alabama. Police officers will tell you that arresting those who break the law are sent the wrong message when they are merely slapped on the wrist.

There has got to be a multi-fasted approach to stop violent crime, not just in the city of Montgomery but across the state. There must be accountability for both criminals and state leaders in the Alabama criminal justice system itself.

Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Hecan be found on X, formerly Twitter, at @Paul_DeMarco.