HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — One local group calls for more transparency as the Huntsville Police Department undergoes a change in leadership.
A research institution revealed HPD has a low score in data transparency, which includes data on the use of force, and officer-involved shootings.
FOX54's Keneisha Deas spoke with the Citizens Coalition for Justice Reform on their mission to demand more accountability.
Vera Institute of Justice revealed HPD scored a 26 out of 100 within its police data transparency index. Lead Liaison for the Citizens Coalition for Justice Reform, Angela Curry, said now that Huntsville is marked as 'The Best Place to Live', she hopes the city lives up to its name.
"It is my hope and also I have a little faith that leadership will respond to those reports in a way that produces more transparency," said Curry.
Curry says as an organization they are pleased with the progress in the city's community meetings, and reports.
She said the group plans to partner with the Huntsville Police Citizens Advisory Council.
"Part of our vision is to alleviate the burdens that are currently on our law enforcement. We as a society love them as superheroes to speak. But then we also burden them with extra tasks that could be you know, delegated to other entities."
We reached out to the Huntsville Police Department regarding the Vera report and here's what they shared with us:
"The Huntsville Police Department follows legal requirements established in the Alabama Open Records Act when responding to requests for release of police materials. These statutes were re-confirmed in 2021 by the Alabama supreme court. The city will continue to follow state law on open records requests."
"We can do the minimum or we can continue to be the star of Alabama and set the standard. And so with us being a smart city. The residents are saying we want to set the standard," added Curry.
Citizens Coalition for Justice Reform formed in 2020 in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests in Huntsville that summer that ended with the department and other law enforcement agencies shooting protesters with non-lethal ammunition and tear gas.
The group has been calling for the department to increase transparency.
“Ten requests were put forth by residents of Madison County and to date, the Huntsville police department has primarily ignored these requests. The findings in these recent reports are of no surprise. It further validates observations we have highlighted for the last two years,” Angela Curry, the coalition’s lead liaison, said in a statement.