Uniontown Police Chief Rebuilding Public Trust
Uniontown is not only dealing with its first homicide of the year but also with rebuilding trust between the Perry County city's police department and the community.
“We’ve weeded out a few bad apples, and we’ll continue to,” remarked Uniontown Police Chief Michael Kaiser. The former Selma police officer and Dallas County deputy sheriff said his department has been whittled down from nine officers to six, including himself.
Kaiser says when he was hired last year, the department lacked structure and had strained relationships with the community. He is emphasizing accountability, transparency, and rebuilding trust, even when it requires operating with fewer officers.
The Uniontown City Council has raised the hourly pay for officers to $20.00 but Kaiser says finding qualified officers remains a challenge in the West Alabama city of just above 2,100.
Kaiser has had an extensive career in law enforcement and is utilizing it to restructure UPD. In his more than two decades wearing a badge he has spent time with the Selma Police Department and as a narcotics division leader at the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.
The chief is focusing on three areas in his plan to rebuild his department: community policing, bringing in new patrol vehicles, and mentoring younger officers.
The restructuring comes as his department assists the State Bureau of Investigation as they investigate the shooting death of 26-year-old Erika Latavia Latham. The Reform native was found fatally wounded in the parking lot of a lounge. 33-year-old Deandre Brandell Langhorne of Uniontown was arrested and charged with manslaughter.
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