Anja Doyle News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Solomon Crenshaw Jr. For The Birmingham Times It’s uncommon to find five female captains serving in one police department, like Birmingham Police Department, said Lynda R. Williams, who knows a thing or two about law enforcement.  Williams is a retired deputy assistant director of the U.S. Secret Service and a criminal justice administration professor at her alma mater Middle Tennessee State University. “Every time we do something (with) statistical data, we see (female promotions to command positions) more often but it’s still a great challenge,” said Williams. “I th...

Solomon Crenshaw Jr. For The Birmingham Times One thing for sure about promotions in the Birmingham Police Department is that officers are not promoted because of who they know, said the city’s human resource director. Procedures are in place for promotions within the police department that have yielded more diversity in leadership, said Jill Madajczyk, the HR director. “We have seen that the number of promotions in both police and fire for women into leadership positions has increased,” she said. “It has also resulted in us finding the most qualified candidates out of the...

By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. For the Birmingham Times Shelia Finney remembers her father encouraging her to always reach for the next rung of the employment ladder. “He just always instilled in [my siblings and me a desire] to go as far as we can anywhere and make the best of any career,” she said of her late father, Billy Frazier Sr. “He said, ‘Don’t ever just stop. Go as high in an organization as you can. That’s always been my goal.’” Finney is a Birmingham Police Department (BPD) captain. That’s not unusual. Several other women have risen through the ranks of the department, ...