City address: 61 homicides, police bonuses and a push to expand 'Anaya's law'
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Summary
Unidentified Speaker reported 61 homicides in 2025 (unchanged from the prior year), said violent crime fell more than 25%, announced recruitment and retention bonuses for Montgomery Police Department that could total $10,000 per officer annually for up to three years as funding allows, and called for expanding Anaya's law to keep repeat violent offenders jailed while cases proceed.
Unidentified Speaker reported that Montgomery ended 2025 with 61 homicides—"61 lives lost"—the same total as the prior year and stressed that count is "61, too many." He said public-safety trends were mixed: violent crime fell by more than 25% and nonviolent crime fell by more than 12%, while nonfatal shootings were down 14% and overall crime declined about 15% citywide.
The speaker framed those numbers as progress that still leaves work to do. "We ended the year with the exact number, that we had the prior year. 61 lives lost and that's 61, too many," he said, while acknowledging other measures show improvement.
To bolster staffing, he announced a recruitment and retention package for the Montgomery Police Department. Nearly 1,000 people expressed interest in becoming officers in 2025, he said, and "personnel will get up to $10,000 per year over a period of 3 years as funding remains available." He described the structure as a $2,500-per-quarter bonus for current staff and up to $10,000 for new recruits in their first year, with a $2,500 payment after successfully completing the academy.
On accountability and prosecution, the speaker described a recurring problem in which people accused of violent crime are released and then reoffend. He urged expanding "Anaya's law," saying it would give judges and district attorneys "additional tools to keep violent offenders off the streets while cases move through the system." He framed that expansion as a legislative priority as the state legislature prepares to convene.
The address credited seizures and arrests with reducing harm: law enforcement seized more than 2,100 guns in 2025, including conversion devices, and officers made arrests and cleared cases despite difficult conditions, the speaker said.
The speaker declined to outline specific prosecutorial or sentencing changes beyond support for the Anaya's law expansion; no formal local ordinance or vote on criminal-justice policy was recorded in the remarks. The address closed by reiterating partnerships with county and federal law-enforcement agencies and urging residents to engage in public-safety efforts.
The next procedural step noted was encouragement to stay informed about the Alabama primary in May and to follow upcoming legislative developments related to Anaya's law.
