UA, Tuscaloosa leaders team up to place new police precinct near the Strip
The University of Alabama and the city of Tuscaloosa have opened a new police precinct on the Strip, part of a continuing initiative to improve safety along the busy area near the UA campus.
The precinct, staffed jointly by the University of Alabama and Tuscaloosa police departments, is on the corner of University Boulevard and Campus Drive West.
“The safety and well-being of our students and our community is our top priority,” said UA President Stuart R. Bell in a Friday news release. “We are grateful for a close working partnership with our city colleagues to identify ways to continually enhance and augment safety strategies in the jointly patrolled areas, especially the Strip, and throughout our community.”
The new police precinct is in a temporary location and will soon relocate to a site directly on the Strip, a three-block area just west of the UA campus that includes bars, restaurants and other retail businesses.
The move comes about a month after the Jan. 15 shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris of Birmingham near the Strip. Former University of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles, 21, and 20-year-old Michael Lynn Davis remain in jail on capital murder charges in connection with Harris' death.
Before the fatal shooting, Tuscaloosa police had expressed increasing concerns about safety on the Strip. In September 2021, the Tuscaloosa Police Department announced they would beef up their presence on the Strip after officers said they had noticed an increase in instances of loitering and littering, open drug use and open alcoholic beverage container violations in the area.
![Pedestrian and vehicular traffic move along University Boulevard on the Strip following the Alabama game with Tennessee Saturday, October 21, 2017. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/JYhz7nJKOwK5hzLQ7NUxAQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYxMQ--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-tuscaloosa-news/531c8a6baa6c9d7012c6f1d9ea1d2d56)
In addition to the new police precinct, UAPD and TPD will dedicate officers to a “Strip detail” – more officers who will patrol the area with a special emphasis on peak hours of activity at businesses in addition to routine 24/7 patrols.
Bell, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox and other campus and city leaders say they have had regular meetings with the goal of improving safety in the area.
The UA news release states that the meetings have already resulted in physical upgrades on and near the Strip, including improved lighting and additional security cameras. Still in the planning stage are other initiatives designed to improve pedestrian access, aesthetics, security and overall safety, UA said.
The mayor said enhancing safety will require the continuance of cooperation between the city and UA.
“The city of Tuscaloosa’s most essential service is public safety. Knowing that tens of thousands of students, faculty, staff and guests of the University of Alabama are at the heart of our central city, the partnership with UAPD is critical,” Maddox said in the news release. “Our partnership is strong, and we will continue to work together to ensure the campus and community is safe.”
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: UA, Tuscaloosa leaders team up to put police precinct near the Strip
