New Tuscaloosa Police Chief Sworn In, Focused On Community Safety

Tuscaloosa has a new police chief after Michael Baygents took his oath of office on Monday morning, capping a nationwide search that ended with the city promoting from within.

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As the Thread has previously reported, Baygents is a Central High School graduate who has spent 26 years working his way through the ranks at TPD after starting his law enforcement career at the University of Alabama Police Department.

Over that time, he's worked patrol, investigations and specialized units, including the department's SWAT team, and most recently oversaw the Uniformed Services Division — the branch of TPD responsible for patrol operations, traffic enforcement and major event planning across the city.

Baygents is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice and justice administration.

"It is truly an honor to be named the next Chief of Police," Baygents said. "My number one priority is to make sure every person in this community feels safe and that our police department has what it needs to succeed."

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