Birmingham homicides drop to historic lows under Mayor Randall Woodfin’s leadership

Birmingham is set to have its fewest homicides in 75 years as Mayor Randall Woodfin credits community violence intervention efforts.

Black mayors across the country are delivering the change their communities need. From Mayor Brandon Scott in Baltimore to Mayor Brandon Johnson in Chicago, local Black leaders have helped drive down violence and homicides. Among them is Birmingham, Alabama’s Mayor Randall Woodfin, who is making real investments into keeping residents safe and, in turn, seeing the results of these efforts. 

Under Woodfin’s leadership, Birmingham is reportedly on track to end the year with its fewest homicides since 1951. 

“Birmingham is on track for our fewest homicides in 75 years,” Mayor Woodfin wrote on Facebook. “Homicides are down 46% from this time last year and 74% from 2024…That means families are getting answers, and the people responsible are being held accountable. This is what happens when you invest in the people and the strategies that actually work.”

According to the Birmingham state legislature, in 2025 the city experienced 63 homicides, a nearly 51% decline from the 130 that had been reported in 2024. Fast forward to today, in October 2026, Woodfin reports only 34 homicide cases, of which 31 have been closed. However, the Birmingham mayor credits this success to the men and women of the Birmingham Police Department, the city’s chief of police Michael Pickett, and its community violence intervention workers. 

“I did not think that we would have this much of a reduction this year,” Pickett said in a press conference earlier this month, per WVTM13. 

According to the city’s 2025 American Rescue Plan Act Impact report, Birmingham allocated $5,512,378 for community violence intervention programs. These programs include the Offender Alumni Association (OAA) and the Violence Intervention and Prevention Partners (VIPP), which places case managers and violence intervention specialists at the bedside of gun violence survivors to offer immediate intervention and long-term support. Survivors are connected to services such as trauma therapy, relocation assistance, and employment pathways. 

“The work being done does not replace the efforts of BPD. However, it works in complement to it. As we all know, and I think many of you all now know and accept this, public safety is a multi-layer problem, and any multi-layer problem takes a multi-layer approach to address, to solve, to help,” Woodfin shared in a press conference explaining the city’s reduction plan. 

Birmingham’s violence reduction strategy leans on four pillars: safety and wellness, engaging and empowering community, strengthening policy and oversight, and increasing youth safety. To reach its long-term goal of hitting a 10% annual reduction rate, the city’s intervention programs also include the Organizing Neighborhoods Empowering Healing Our Own Development (One Hood) Program powered in partnership with the Institute for Research and Social Justice in Action (IRSJA), Everybody WENS, a Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) in collaboration with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR), and the Street Outreach Team with the Urban League of Alabama, which puts trusted peacekeepers, conflict mediators, and mentors in high-risk neighborhoods.

“Ultimately, this plan is about more than just reducing numbers,” the Birmingham Mayor shared. “This is more than about stats. It is about changing what is possible in our city, what is possible in our neighborhoods and communities, but most importantly, what’s possible for our citizens, our people, and our youth.”

However, Woodfin says the work is not done, acknowledging that 34 lives were still lost. Through the city’s violence reduction roadmap, Woodfin’s hope is not only put an end to a culture where a mother is afraid to let her child walk to the corner store, but also to build a sense of trust amongst community members. 

“We’re building a culture of safety. That culture should also include opportunity. That culture should also be of hope…it is not only a future worth fighting for, but it is also a future worth investing in.”