Irondale council approves policy review and Homeland Security task force participation for police

The Irondale City Council approved two items intended to strengthen police practice and investigative capacity: a contract for an external policy and procedure review of the police department and a memorandum of understanding to allow an investigator to participate on a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSI) task force.

Interim Chief Paul Kellogg told the council the first action authorizes the Legal and Liability Risk Management Institute to conduct a policies review “to make sure that our policies are in line with the most current laws” and accepted best practices; the contract amount is not to exceed $2,800 and the firm gave an estimated timeline of about eight weeks.

Why it matters: Chief Kellogg and council members said the review will check department policies against recent state laws and federal court rulings and that any recommended changes would be considered by the chief, the mayor and council before implementation. Separately, the HSI task force participation will give a city investigator access to federal technology, training and manpower to investigate human trafficking, child exploitation and related crimes.

Key details and council discussion - Interim Chief Paul Kellogg: the review will compare department policies with Alabama law, Eleventh Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court rulings and Department of Justice standards; the company provides an expert review and will arrange a briefing for council members when recommendations are ready. “They will arrange a time for us to all have a conference … to explain why they made these recommended changes,” Kellogg said. - Timeline and cost: Chief Kellogg said the contracted review company set an about eight-week timeline; cost not to exceed $2,800. - Homeland Security participation: The council approved a resolution authorizing an Irondale officer’s participation in a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) task force. Chief Kellogg and Investigator Matt Batson described HSI as part of ICE under the Department of Homeland Security but distinct from enforcement and removal operations (ERO). Kellogg said the HSI assignment focuses on “human trafficking, child exploitation, cyber … financial exploitation” and would not involve immigration enforcement work. - Reimbursement and capacity: Kellogg explained task-force arrangements typically reimburse the city for overtime incurred by a task-force officer and provide federal support such as technology, training and assistance with federal warrants. He also cited recent local successes tied to task-force cooperation, including a fentanyl seizure: “Our narcotics investigators confiscated approximately 13 ounces of fentanyl,” he said.

Outcome Both resolutions — the contract for policy review and the HSI participation memorandum — were placed on the consent agenda and approved with council concurrence during the meeting.