Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chris Anderson is in the studio with us. Now you
may know that name. Former Birmingham p D and a
star on the first forty eight A and E television
show Chris, Good to See It, Good to See You
two J T my Frist. So there was another show
that you did as well. I did. What was it?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
The name of the show was Reasonable Doubt. We did
it for five seasons. It was I won't say it
was the reason why I retired from Birmingham so early,
but it was a factor, a factor because I just
believed in what we were doing. I believe that, you know, look,
while we have one of the greatest criminal justice systems
there is in the world, I believe that we have problems.
(00:36):
You know, we have. It's not perfect. Yeah, So we've
had areas or times where we've had people that were
wrongfully convicted. And that's what we did on Reasonable Doubt.
We looked into cases that were wrong but where people
believed that loved ones have been wrongfully convicted.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Where can you watch that now? Is that show still
in production or is it in reruns or where is it? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We have reruns. It was a television show on id
idd okay. I got to check that out at them.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
But the first forty eight I love that show, I mean,
and that do you know that obviously you know the
people that produce it and direct it, and you know
all those people.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Well, yeah, so we didn't really have a very close connection,
not like reasonable doubt where I was going out of
town and going to different states and things like that.
Of that nature. First forty eight was kind of different.
The producers were there with us twenty four hours a day,
every day. Every time we got a call, they got
a call to come out with us. So it was
it was the way that the shows were produced was
(01:30):
completely different.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
And done out of New York. Probably they just called
you film it and then they send all the stuff
there and you know they cut it up and make
it look good.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Do you have any influence in getting me be the
voice guy that comes on and goes in Birmingham shots
ring out?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
You know, for years I've been trying to get you
at least one episode because I would love to hear
your voice come over one of those episodes.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
But that guy that does the voice, he's really good.
He is, I mean a pro. But the show you
watch that time and time again, and you would think
that people that are committing crimes, these young you know,
sixteen to twenty four year old kids in the city
that are coming most of the crimes that they do,
they put on the show. You would think that the
first thing they would say when they get taken to
(02:13):
the police station is lawyer. Yeah, they don't. They start
spewing all kinds of stuff with our lawyer, and then
they they you know, you guys are masters and getting talking,
being nice to them and getting to confess almost to
the point, well you guys love confessions, but to the
point of where they bury themselves and all they got
to do is say lawyer in the beginning. Well, I mean,
I don't think that I'm not trying to give criminals advice.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Right right, right, right, I completely understand. But then you know, look,
you our constitution guarantees the right that you don't have
to talk to law to a law enforcement officer, so
you know, they are more than welcome to exercise those rights.
But at the same time, sometimes sometimes you know, when
you coin it in a a in a spot where
(02:56):
you could spend the rest of your life in prison,
or you could get you know, but to death you
may want to talk, you know. So we just have
to weigh those two against the other. I know, all
my lawyer friends are probably going to be on my
Facebook page and.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
No lawyer up.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Lawyer Chris Anderson is wrong, you know, but hey, sometimes
it's for that official it's.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Beneficial well work. If you work with us, do you
us get cut all day long? Absolutely? Okay? Absolutely, Chris.
You were a detective with Birmingham PD. You've done the
television shows the first forty eighth and also Beyond Reasonable Doubt.
And now you're in Talladega. What is your role in Talladega?
So I am currently the chief of police there at
Talladega College. Okay. And now you're going to be a
(03:37):
candidate for the Jefferson County Sheriff's office. When is that
election coming up? It'll be May twenty six, Okay. So
we're getting close. We're getting so why are you running?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
So I believe that there's a first off, I believe
that we are in a position right now to make
some serious changes in the mindset and the mentality of
the way people think about Jeffson County as far as
crime goes. And if we are not working together. If
we're not collaborating as a law enforcement agency. And I'm
not just talking about Jeffson County Sheriff's Office, I'm talking
(04:09):
about the Birmingham Police Department, bestseller, every one of the
cities that covered that that Jefferson County Sheriff's Office covers.
If we're not working together, we will not make it
make the inroads that we can't could do.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
So when you talk about working together, is that working
with evidence, working with you know, different systems, working with
you know, helping us find potential suspects. So what do
you mean when the agency of the agency, if you
need Nick Jerseys or you need another chief in another area,
if you call them from say Jefferson County Sheriff's Office,
is there not a lack of cooperation or is there?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Does it need improvement? It needs improvement, It needs major improvement.
I've heard from a lot of different chiefs of police,
and you spoke specifically about Nick Jersey. I think he
was a great law enforcement office. He's a great cop.
You know, he's always been a great cop and a
man that I've held in the highest regards. But I've
heard from a lot of different law enforcement leaders who
believe that that could the collaboration and the cooperation could
(05:09):
be much more than what it is right now. And
that's an issue.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
I think one of the big things people talk about
in our area and also in other cities where crime
is rampant, you know, Memphis, Chicago. What's going to happen
with New York with his socialistm and Donnie who wants
to get rid of law enforcement or now he's backed
off that. Well, I don't really mean that. I just mean,
let's send social workers out to deal with somebody calls
nine to one one first, and the deem whether or
not we ought to send an officer. Maybe too late then.
(05:35):
So I think a lot of people think in Birmingham
that there's just too much of a soft approach on
some lower level crimes. And Scott Morrow, I know, you
know Scott, he's an attorney, former top as well, you know,
and he says, you've got to have the will to police.
You've got to have a mayor and a chief that
are serious about going after crime and not letting smaller
(05:57):
things slide. You got to get the das that are
serious about crime and early releasing people. You got to
get judges to be on board with dealing with crime
on a serious level and not letting slower, smaller things Goely,
do you feel that that's a problem in our city?
And as a Jefferson County sheriff, would you change some
(06:19):
of those I guess overall policies that, look, you committed crime,
We're not playing anymore.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Absolutely so, I believe that there's a three pronged approach
when it comes to law enforcement, and arrest is one
of the major ones. We have to put people in jail.
I mean, that's just, that's just a part of the beast.
There are people that are going to do that, look
to violate the rights and violate the people in Jefferson County,
and they have to go to jail.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
That's just You've been on the streets. You've seen it.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I've seen it.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
You've seen communities turning apart.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
You know. Look, and I thank God for the blessings
that He's bestowed upon me about being on television, but
that's not the entirety of my law enforcement career. I've
worked this streets. I've worked in beach, and I've worked
with families that have lost their loved ones. Even as
a as a patrol officer and figured out ways that
you know, look, okay, so I may not be able
to get you on this charge, but there's something else
(07:13):
that you've done and maybe we can get you on
this charge that will lead to an arrest on another
charge where I can help this family that have been
that's lost their loved one.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
So yeah, and I.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Think right now, I think we're making some incredible strides
in Birmingham. I understand people that that that are still
frustrated and they still see the crimes that's happening, but
they've made some incredible improvements as far as crime fighting goes, just.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
In the last year.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
In the last year, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's been incredible.
Prior to that, there were some bigger problems too, we
had some major problems that and I mean, we can't
sugarcoat it, but I think that that now today they've
made some incredible strides and I think that that could
be more that's done if you had more collaboration.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
You mentioned three prong law, law enforcement, the arrests and
put them in jail, right, what else needs to happen.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
So you've got to you've got to pack the people
that are influenced to commit crimes. So you have to
do it on the front end, and that's mentorship. That
is talking to parents and trying to figure out a
way that you can help them out in order to
steer a little Johnny from going into two criminal acts
and hanging out with the wrong groups of people. And
there's also has to be some sort of changes made.
(08:20):
And when it comes to people that I've already been incarcerated,
we've got to do something to stop recidivision because that's
a problem too. If you put a person that's been
in prison or in jail for a long period of
time back out on the streets without any any ways
to finance their lifestyles to take care of their families,
(08:41):
they're going to go back to what they know. Yeah,
and let's not be too quick on letting them out right.
Absolutely no, you.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Know, you're convicted of a serious crime of felony, then
you know you get ten to twenty years, you know,
don't get out in two Absolutely, I absolutely agree with that.
You know, so I think we've got to get the
judicial system, the judges and also the DA's ye to
be si cerious about it, as well as the chief
and the mayors and things. Absolutely. You know what, excuse
me when you talk about running for sheriff. I mean
(09:08):
there's been a lot of discussion, and I don't think
it's a big secret that morale changed when Sheriff mikel
left and current sheriff came in. People went into early retirement,
people were moved to different positions within the department, and
people basically just quit and moved on. Do you sense
a morale issue at the Jeffery County.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Sheriff's Yes, yeah, And I've talked to a lot of
deputies and those deputies are very much low on moraley.
And you know, it's one of those situations where they
don't feel that their voices are being heard. They don't
feel like their hard work is being rewarded because there's
so many there are less opportunities for promotion, and there
(09:49):
are a lot of other factors. So why would I
come to work if I knew that I'm not going
to be rewarded. I'm never going to make enough money
for me to put my life on the line. That
don't ever get paid as much as they should. So
you've got to have some sort of other factors to
motivate you to do your job. And I love to
see people happy. I love to see people feel safe,
(10:12):
and that's because of the work that I'm doing. And
I also like to have my supervisors or the people
who above me recognize my hard work. And I just
don't think that they feels that their hard work is
being recognized.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
You know, in a football analogy, it's like a head
coach losing the locker room. Once you lose your players,
you know, there's nothing you can do. And I think
people got to come to the job in law enforcement
like those players come to the practice field and games
wanting to win absolutely game, and the coach has got
them fired up to come in there and they're excited
(10:43):
to get in their car and come to work every day,
not going in there and going this coach don't know
what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Absolutely, so absolutely, that's a great analogy, and that's one
of those analogies that I always look forward to as
a supervisor.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Yeah, well, I appreciate you coming in sharing with us,
and now you're welcome to come back anytime. And as
well as sheriff Way. So yeah, Chris Anderson running for
Jeferson County Sheriff's Office. Yeah, get behind him, and you know,
let's see where we go with this. Absolutely great to
see you. Good to see you too. By the way,
how's your daughter. Daughter's doing great, she's married now, former
high school basketball player. She was a she was a
(11:16):
lightning run. She was good. I'm glad she's doing well.
She's doing well, all right, Tell her, I said, hey,
I will
Chris Anderson is in the studio with us. Now you
may know that name. Former Birmingham p D and a
star on the first forty eight A and E television
show Chris, Good to See It, Good to See You
two J T my Frist. So there was another show
that you did as well. I did. What was it?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
The name of the show was Reasonable Doubt. We did
it for five seasons. It was I won't say it
was the reason why I retired from Birmingham so early,
but it was a factor, a factor because I just
believed in what we were doing. I believe that, you know, look,
while we have one of the greatest criminal justice systems
there is in the world, I believe that we have problems.
(00:36):
You know, we have. It's not perfect. Yeah, So we've
had areas or times where we've had people that were
wrongfully convicted. And that's what we did on Reasonable Doubt.
We looked into cases that were wrong but where people
believed that loved ones have been wrongfully convicted.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Where can you watch that now? Is that show still
in production or is it in reruns or where is it? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We have reruns. It was a television show on id
idd okay. I got to check that out at them.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
But the first forty eight I love that show, I mean,
and that do you know that obviously you know the
people that produce it and direct it, and you know
all those people.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Well, yeah, so we didn't really have a very close connection,
not like reasonable doubt where I was going out of
town and going to different states and things like that.
Of that nature. First forty eight was kind of different.
The producers were there with us twenty four hours a day,
every day. Every time we got a call, they got
a call to come out with us. So it was
it was the way that the shows were produced was
(01:30):
completely different.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
And done out of New York. Probably they just called
you film it and then they send all the stuff
there and you know they cut it up and make
it look good.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Do you have any influence in getting me be the
voice guy that comes on and goes in Birmingham shots
ring out?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
You know, for years I've been trying to get you
at least one episode because I would love to hear
your voice come over one of those episodes.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
But that guy that does the voice, he's really good.
He is, I mean a pro. But the show you
watch that time and time again, and you would think
that people that are committing crimes, these young you know,
sixteen to twenty four year old kids in the city
that are coming most of the crimes that they do,
they put on the show. You would think that the
first thing they would say when they get taken to
(02:13):
the police station is lawyer. Yeah, they don't. They start
spewing all kinds of stuff with our lawyer, and then
they they you know, you guys are masters and getting talking,
being nice to them and getting to confess almost to
the point, well you guys love confessions, but to the
point of where they bury themselves and all they got
to do is say lawyer in the beginning. Well, I mean,
I don't think that I'm not trying to give criminals advice.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Right right, right, right, I completely understand. But then you know, look,
you our constitution guarantees the right that you don't have
to talk to law to a law enforcement officer, so
you know, they are more than welcome to exercise those rights.
But at the same time, sometimes sometimes you know, when
you coin it in a a in a spot where
(02:56):
you could spend the rest of your life in prison,
or you could get you know, but to death you
may want to talk, you know. So we just have
to weigh those two against the other. I know, all
my lawyer friends are probably going to be on my
Facebook page and.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
No lawyer up.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Lawyer Chris Anderson is wrong, you know, but hey, sometimes
it's for that official it's.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Beneficial well work. If you work with us, do you
us get cut all day long? Absolutely? Okay? Absolutely, Chris.
You were a detective with Birmingham PD. You've done the
television shows the first forty eighth and also Beyond Reasonable Doubt.
And now you're in Talladega. What is your role in Talladega?
So I am currently the chief of police there at
Talladega College. Okay. And now you're going to be a
(03:37):
candidate for the Jefferson County Sheriff's office. When is that
election coming up? It'll be May twenty six, Okay. So
we're getting close. We're getting so why are you running?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
So I believe that there's a first off, I believe
that we are in a position right now to make
some serious changes in the mindset and the mentality of
the way people think about Jeffson County as far as
crime goes. And if we are not working together. If
we're not collaborating as a law enforcement agency. And I'm
not just talking about Jeffson County Sheriff's Office, I'm talking
(04:09):
about the Birmingham Police Department, bestseller, every one of the
cities that covered that that Jefferson County Sheriff's Office covers.
If we're not working together, we will not make it
make the inroads that we can't could do.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
So when you talk about working together, is that working
with evidence, working with you know, different systems, working with
you know, helping us find potential suspects. So what do
you mean when the agency of the agency, if you
need Nick Jerseys or you need another chief in another area,
if you call them from say Jefferson County Sheriff's Office,
is there not a lack of cooperation or is there?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Does it need improvement? It needs improvement, It needs major improvement.
I've heard from a lot of different chiefs of police,
and you spoke specifically about Nick Jersey. I think he
was a great law enforcement office. He's a great cop.
You know, he's always been a great cop and a
man that I've held in the highest regards. But I've
heard from a lot of different law enforcement leaders who
believe that that could the collaboration and the cooperation could
(05:09):
be much more than what it is right now. And
that's an issue.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
I think one of the big things people talk about
in our area and also in other cities where crime
is rampant, you know, Memphis, Chicago. What's going to happen
with New York with his socialistm and Donnie who wants
to get rid of law enforcement or now he's backed
off that. Well, I don't really mean that. I just mean,
let's send social workers out to deal with somebody calls
nine to one one first, and the deem whether or
not we ought to send an officer. Maybe too late then.
(05:35):
So I think a lot of people think in Birmingham
that there's just too much of a soft approach on
some lower level crimes. And Scott Morrow, I know, you
know Scott, he's an attorney, former top as well, you know,
and he says, you've got to have the will to police.
You've got to have a mayor and a chief that
are serious about going after crime and not letting smaller
(05:57):
things slide. You got to get the das that are
serious about crime and early releasing people. You got to
get judges to be on board with dealing with crime
on a serious level and not letting slower, smaller things Goely,
do you feel that that's a problem in our city?
And as a Jefferson County sheriff, would you change some
(06:19):
of those I guess overall policies that, look, you committed crime,
We're not playing anymore.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Absolutely so, I believe that there's a three pronged approach
when it comes to law enforcement, and arrest is one
of the major ones. We have to put people in jail.
I mean, that's just, that's just a part of the beast.
There are people that are going to do that, look
to violate the rights and violate the people in Jefferson County,
and they have to go to jail.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
That's just You've been on the streets. You've seen it.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I've seen it.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
You've seen communities turning apart.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
You know. Look, and I thank God for the blessings
that He's bestowed upon me about being on television, but
that's not the entirety of my law enforcement career. I've
worked this streets. I've worked in beach, and I've worked
with families that have lost their loved ones. Even as
a as a patrol officer and figured out ways that
you know, look, okay, so I may not be able
to get you on this charge, but there's something else
(07:13):
that you've done and maybe we can get you on
this charge that will lead to an arrest on another
charge where I can help this family that have been
that's lost their loved one.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
So yeah, and I.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Think right now, I think we're making some incredible strides
in Birmingham. I understand people that that that are still
frustrated and they still see the crimes that's happening, but
they've made some incredible improvements as far as crime fighting goes, just.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
In the last year.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
In the last year, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's been incredible.
Prior to that, there were some bigger problems too, we
had some major problems that and I mean, we can't
sugarcoat it, but I think that that now today they've
made some incredible strides and I think that that could
be more that's done if you had more collaboration.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
You mentioned three prong law, law enforcement, the arrests and
put them in jail, right, what else needs to happen.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
So you've got to you've got to pack the people
that are influenced to commit crimes. So you have to
do it on the front end, and that's mentorship. That
is talking to parents and trying to figure out a
way that you can help them out in order to
steer a little Johnny from going into two criminal acts
and hanging out with the wrong groups of people. And
there's also has to be some sort of changes made.
(08:20):
And when it comes to people that I've already been incarcerated,
we've got to do something to stop recidivision because that's
a problem too. If you put a person that's been
in prison or in jail for a long period of
time back out on the streets without any any ways
to finance their lifestyles to take care of their families,
(08:41):
they're going to go back to what they know. Yeah,
and let's not be too quick on letting them out right.
Absolutely no, you.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Know, you're convicted of a serious crime of felony, then
you know you get ten to twenty years, you know,
don't get out in two Absolutely, I absolutely agree with that.
You know, so I think we've got to get the
judicial system, the judges and also the DA's ye to
be si cerious about it, as well as the chief
and the mayors and things. Absolutely. You know what, excuse
me when you talk about running for sheriff. I mean
(09:08):
there's been a lot of discussion, and I don't think
it's a big secret that morale changed when Sheriff mikel
left and current sheriff came in. People went into early retirement,
people were moved to different positions within the department, and
people basically just quit and moved on. Do you sense
a morale issue at the Jeffery County.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Sheriff's Yes, yeah, And I've talked to a lot of
deputies and those deputies are very much low on moraley.
And you know, it's one of those situations where they
don't feel that their voices are being heard. They don't
feel like their hard work is being rewarded because there's
so many there are less opportunities for promotion, and there
(09:49):
are a lot of other factors. So why would I
come to work if I knew that I'm not going
to be rewarded. I'm never going to make enough money
for me to put my life on the line. That
don't ever get paid as much as they should. So
you've got to have some sort of other factors to
motivate you to do your job. And I love to
see people happy. I love to see people feel safe,
(10:12):
and that's because of the work that I'm doing. And
I also like to have my supervisors or the people
who above me recognize my hard work. And I just
don't think that they feels that their hard work is
being recognized.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
You know, in a football analogy, it's like a head
coach losing the locker room. Once you lose your players,
you know, there's nothing you can do. And I think
people got to come to the job in law enforcement
like those players come to the practice field and games
wanting to win absolutely game, and the coach has got
them fired up to come in there and they're excited
(10:43):
to get in their car and come to work every day,
not going in there and going this coach don't know
what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Absolutely, so absolutely, that's a great analogy, and that's one
of those analogies that I always look forward to as
a supervisor.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Yeah, well, I appreciate you coming in sharing with us,
and now you're welcome to come back anytime. And as
well as sheriff Way. So yeah, Chris Anderson running for
Jeferson County Sheriff's Office. Yeah, get behind him, and you know,
let's see where we go with this. Absolutely great to
see you. Good to see you too. By the way,
how's your daughter. Daughter's doing great, she's married now, former
high school basketball player. She was a she was a
(11:16):
lightning run. She was good. I'm glad she's doing well.
She's doing well, all right, Tell her, I said, hey,
I will
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