Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining us now State Representative Wantland Devan, who has got
a bill that she wants to see pass. And I
got to tell you, won Ln, I'm in favor of
this bill, any bill that supports law enforcement at bringing
on where we got a lot of problems with recruiting
and cops need more protection. So welcome in this morning.
Thank you for being here. I'm glad you put this
bill together. Tell me about it. How did it come
(00:21):
to be?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
First of all, j T, thank you for having me.
But listen, this is this bill here to.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Me is a no brainer.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
We must do more a to protect our law enforcement
officers across the country. There is a shortage of police officers,
but incidents occur, assaults attacks on our officers every single day,
and a lot of those assaults and those attacks they
go unreported.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
You know, in many instances those for some reason.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Are able to get away with it to a great
extent for different reasons.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
And this is just right here A. I like it.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
It brings to Attorney Attorney General in on on this
as well, and again I think it's something that you
and I talked about. It also enhances the ability to
do more recruiting. Listen, our law enforcement enforcement officers are
fed up throughout the country. They're overwork, they're underpaid, they're
(01:21):
doing some of the jobs that they are doing within
their work, they probably shouldn't even be on certain types
of calls. So all of those things coupled together, I
think makes for a good deal.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
All right, when you talk about what's happening here in
Birmingham specifically want and you're running for mayor, so the
crime rate here has been you know, through the roof,
and recently yesterday Mayor Woodfin came out and said, you know,
we're down twenty seven percent. Well it's you know, first
part of March. I mean, okay, let's see how we're
doing moving down the road. Has he said anything about
(01:55):
this bill or whatsoever? Have you gotten any response from
anybody that might, you know, be a part of this
bill besides our Attorney General Steve Marshall.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
First of all, JC JT. I have to make always
make full disclaimer when I.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Things that I'm pushing. I'm not pushing.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Because I run from mayor. And I think you know
that because you have followed me for some time.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I'm not pushing.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Something because I'm running from mayor. I'm pushing something because
this is a need and a must.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
I do not have a.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Relationship in which I communicate with the Mayor of the
City of Birmingham. I will say that, and I would
say that at this point, certainly after the meme last year,
I have no communications with him.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
I stopped basically reaching.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Out to the mayor at the end of twenty twenty
three because I felt that, you know, any suggestions were
going on unfulfilled, and you know, basically it was I
got you, I got you, I'm gonna do it, because
he would call me G, I have you G.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
I got you, G. I hear you, G. I'm gonna
take care of it. So let me get that out
the way. No, I have not heard from anyone representative.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Traid Away and I talked this morning, but we were
talking about that overall thing, this of someone saying that
murder is down but violent assaults is up.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
And I will say this. We had a very very
cold snap cold period.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Last I think sometime in January, and I would venture
to say that if it continues to warm up, where
we're only down about maybe maybe estimated maybe about five
six murders off from where we were last year, and
I still feel that number that has been reported in suspect.
I have no confidence of the reporting that comes from
(03:40):
the City of Birmingham. They have continued to lie about
the number of law enforcement officers.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
For the last few years.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
They refuse to submit all of their information to ALIA.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Aliah is only showing let me say, this is JT.
This is important.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is only reporting right now
sixty five homicides from Birmingham last year. So I'm putting
this out there to say, when I receive a number
from anyone at the City of Birmingham administration, I am.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Very suspect of it. It's a very sad day.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
We support law enforcement, we support the men and women
in blue.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
And I will close.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Out with this because you called me a few days
ago about something that was in one of the blogs
or whatever, and I looked at when I looked at
the comment, some of those those things were so personal
that I felt at that time I knew where they
were coming from. That at the end of the day,
I'm not a clown, I'm not an idiot. I am
a graduate of an HPCU, very well educated and a
(04:39):
very successful practicing attorney and fifteen year veteran of the
Alabama House of the Representatives.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
And not only that, to.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Close out, I have the most bills sponsored, single sponsored
bills of anybody Democrat in the Alabama House of Representatives
in the House, not in the opportunity, but in the House.
So I bring those bills like this help say.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
I know, I didn't mean to insinuate that. I'm just
saying that.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
No, not j no, No, I'm just waiting rep it
straight since I saw this was one of the blocks.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
No, I got you. I got you. But your bill
here back the Blue Act is all about, you know,
protecting police officers. And what the purpose of the bill
is meant to do is published the names and related
information to these individuals who have been convicted of offensive
you know, towards law enforcement.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Absolutely, and you get there's gonna be more penalties if
you attack law enforcement. I'm one hundred percent behind this,
all right, wantal and we will stay in touch on
this and I hope this thing gets passed. I mean,
this is a no brainer for sure. Thank you for
being with me.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Thank you. We're kud of this attack. Thank you so much.
Joining us now State Representative Wantland Devan, who has got
a bill that she wants to see pass. And I
got to tell you, won Ln, I'm in favor of
this bill, any bill that supports law enforcement at bringing
on where we got a lot of problems with recruiting
and cops need more protection. So welcome in this morning.
Thank you for being here. I'm glad you put this
bill together. Tell me about it. How did it come
(00:21):
to be?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
First of all, j T, thank you for having me.
But listen, this is this bill here to.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Me is a no brainer.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
We must do more a to protect our law enforcement
officers across the country. There is a shortage of police officers,
but incidents occur, assaults attacks on our officers every single day,
and a lot of those assaults and those attacks they
go unreported.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
You know, in many instances those for some reason.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Are able to get away with it to a great
extent for different reasons.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
And this is just right here A. I like it.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
It brings to Attorney Attorney General in on on this
as well, and again I think it's something that you
and I talked about. It also enhances the ability to
do more recruiting. Listen, our law enforcement enforcement officers are
fed up throughout the country. They're overwork, they're underpaid, they're
(01:21):
doing some of the jobs that they are doing within
their work, they probably shouldn't even be on certain types
of calls. So all of those things coupled together, I
think makes for a good deal.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
All right, when you talk about what's happening here in
Birmingham specifically want and you're running for mayor, so the
crime rate here has been you know, through the roof,
and recently yesterday Mayor Woodfin came out and said, you know,
we're down twenty seven percent. Well it's you know, first
part of March. I mean, okay, let's see how we're
doing moving down the road. Has he said anything about
(01:55):
this bill or whatsoever? Have you gotten any response from
anybody that might, you know, be a part of this
bill besides our Attorney General Steve Marshall.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
First of all, JC JT. I have to make always
make full disclaimer when I.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Things that I'm pushing. I'm not pushing.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Because I run from mayor. And I think you know
that because you have followed me for some time.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I'm not pushing.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Something because I'm running from mayor. I'm pushing something because
this is a need and a must.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
I do not have a.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Relationship in which I communicate with the Mayor of the
City of Birmingham. I will say that, and I would
say that at this point, certainly after the meme last year,
I have no communications with him.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
I stopped basically reaching.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Out to the mayor at the end of twenty twenty
three because I felt that, you know, any suggestions were
going on unfulfilled, and you know, basically it was I
got you, I got you, I'm gonna do it, because
he would call me G, I have you G.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
I got you, G. I hear you, G. I'm gonna
take care of it. So let me get that out
the way. No, I have not heard from anyone representative.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Traid Away and I talked this morning, but we were
talking about that overall thing, this of someone saying that
murder is down but violent assaults is up.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
And I will say this. We had a very very
cold snap cold period.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Last I think sometime in January, and I would venture
to say that if it continues to warm up, where
we're only down about maybe maybe estimated maybe about five
six murders off from where we were last year, and
I still feel that number that has been reported in suspect.
I have no confidence of the reporting that comes from
(03:40):
the City of Birmingham. They have continued to lie about
the number of law enforcement officers.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
For the last few years.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
They refuse to submit all of their information to ALIA.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Aliah is only showing let me say, this is JT.
This is important.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is only reporting right now
sixty five homicides from Birmingham last year. So I'm putting
this out there to say, when I receive a number
from anyone at the City of Birmingham administration, I am.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Very suspect of it. It's a very sad day.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
We support law enforcement, we support the men and women
in blue.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
And I will close.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Out with this because you called me a few days
ago about something that was in one of the blogs
or whatever, and I looked at when I looked at
the comment, some of those those things were so personal
that I felt at that time I knew where they
were coming from. That at the end of the day,
I'm not a clown, I'm not an idiot. I am
a graduate of an HPCU, very well educated and a
(04:39):
very successful practicing attorney and fifteen year veteran of the
Alabama House of the Representatives.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
And not only that, to.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Close out, I have the most bills sponsored, single sponsored
bills of anybody Democrat in the Alabama House of Representatives
in the House, not in the opportunity, but in the House.
So I bring those bills like this help say.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
I know, I didn't mean to insinuate that. I'm just
saying that.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
No, not j no, No, I'm just waiting rep it
straight since I saw this was one of the blocks.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
No, I got you. I got you. But your bill
here back the Blue Act is all about, you know,
protecting police officers. And what the purpose of the bill
is meant to do is published the names and related
information to these individuals who have been convicted of offensive
you know, towards law enforcement.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Absolutely, and you get there's gonna be more penalties if
you attack law enforcement. I'm one hundred percent behind this,
all right, wantal and we will stay in touch on
this and I hope this thing gets passed. I mean,
this is a no brainer for sure. Thank you for
being with me.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Thank you. We're kud of this attack. Thank you so much.
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