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Council Member Keith Eager to Expand Dialogue with HPD

Published on February 15, 2017

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UPDATED: 11:05 a.m., February 17th, 2017 to reflect an update in the initial report called in to HPD. The report called in was a robbery, not a burglary. This document has been changed to reflect that detail.

On Monday afternoon, February 13, Huntsville Police Department (HPD) responded to reports of a robbery in the Terry Heights Neighborhood. Huntsville Police were given a description of a suspect and followed normal procedures to canvas the area to locate the suspect and investigate details of the incident.

Witnesses to the reported robbery described the suspect, and as is procedure, HPD officers searched throughout the area for individuals fitting the witnesses’ descriptions.

District 1 Council Member Devyn Keith, who resides in the Terry Heights neighborhood, was one of the individuals who matched the description and was approached by HPD officers seeking to learn more about the incident. Both the Huntsville Police Department and Mr. Keith acted appropriately and served as a great community model for citizen and police interaction.

“We work hard in Huntsville to ensure all citizens feel safe and are treated fairly,” said City Administrator John Hamilton. “We’ve been in close conversation with Councilman Keith, Chief of Police Mark McMurray and the officers who responded to the call to ensure the incident followed protocol, which it did. A positive relationship between citizen and law enforcement is absolutely essential to a strong community. We’re proud of the work of the Huntsville Police Department and the leadership of Councilman Keith in this area.”

Mr. Keith is working closely with the administration and HPD to continue robust conversations regarding community policing and how the City can continue to improve the good work being done by our law enforcement.

“I look forward to continued, open, intentional dialogue on our community policing procedures and how we can work to keep our community safe,” Council Member Keith said. “District One will see these conversations carried out publicly and in a way that leads to real solutions for our community.”