Birmingham Fraternal Order of Police Vice President Lawrence Billups announced that the fraternal order will submit a motion of no confidence to fraternal members next month in Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond, Deputy Chief LaQuailyn Mack, Deputy Chief Michael Pickett, Deputy Chief Sheila Finney and Deputy Chief Onry Pruitt.

The Birmingham Police Department is reportedly short 300 officers, Billips said.

Billups recently told reporters that the shortage is due to a lack of leadership.

“The lack of leadership is a situation where we're not getting the leadership that we deserve, and the citizens of Birmingham are not getting the leadership that they deserve from their police department,” Billups said. “The administration is divided, the chief is basically saying he has no control over his department. There's no one to lead us.”

Birmingham is one of the most violent cities relative to its population in the U.S. US News and World Report ranks it as the fourth most dangerous city in America, behind Memphis, St. Louis and Detroit.

There have been 58 homicides in Birmingham so far this year, with five more murders that investigators have determined were committed in self-defense.

In the most recent incident, 23-year-old Zetarius Free was shot and killed and two others were wounded at the Carson Crest Apartments, 1401 Carson Road, in Bridlewood, on June 8. One of the wounded men is believed to have been in a gunfight with Free. Charges have not yet been announced.

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