Birmingham leaders apologize after large private pool party; city outlines changes to response

Mayor Clinton Balor opened public comment on June 22 by apologizing to neighbors for the police department’s response to a disruptive private pool party the prior weekend, saying the city “did not perform up to the expectations” of residents and promising changes.

City Manager Jana Eker told the commission she convened a detailed debrief with the police department, the prosecutor’s office, city attorneys and code enforcement and described immediate changes: tighter coordination between officers and code enforcement, use of the city’s nuisance ordinances earlier in an event’s escalation, more dispatcher and officer training on how to evaluate potential zoning or commercial‑event violations, and new procedures to preserve a safe police presence during event shutdowns. Eker said the city has added charges beyond noise citations in some cases, and issued a cease‑and‑desist order for continued use of a pool, deck and garage where building permit issues remained unresolved.

“Follow up to that, we had a long discussion on Friday with the prosecutor for the city, the city attorneys, myself, the police department and the code enforcement to review all of the issues and to review the law on the police officers’ right to enforce zoning ordinances,” Eker said. She said officers will be encouraged to contact the chief, the city attorney or the manager in real time when uncertain about enforcement authority and to use mutual‑aid agreements if on‑site coverage is thin.

City Attorney Mary Kacharik urged caution in public discussion because the city has filed criminal misdemeanor tickets in the 48th District Court related to the event. “They’re not citations,” she said. “They are in fact criminal misdemeanor tickets.” Kacharik said the homeowner and party organizer have been charged with a mix of offenses that include a zoning violation and misdemeanors such as “gathering of disorderly persons, breach of the peace, and causing a public nuisance;” arraignments were scheduled in late July.

Residents who testified at the meeting pressed for faster action and clearer rules. Several said multiple 911 calls and dispatch responses gave mixed messages about whether wristbanded, paid events could occur at private pools and urged the city to remove ambiguity about commercial activity in single‑family neighborhoods.

What’s next: the administration said it will continue the debrief and implement training and operational adjustments already started; the municipal prosecutor and 48th District Court will process the criminal cases. The city attorney cautioned residents to avoid public commentary that could interfere with the pending criminal proceedings. The commission did not take a formal vote on policy changes at the meeting.

Provenance: Commission agenda discussion and staff presentation (city manager and city attorney), public comment (multiple residents).