Montgomery Spends $243K on Traffic Firm Amid Council Debate

0:00It's March 27th. I'm Cory with the story, and this is Birmingham News today. Local news powered by AI. Montgomery recently showed out $243,530 to a Louisiana security firm called Traffic Serve 4. Traffic accident response services. This payment went through on March 10th, even as the city council ways pulling the plug on the deal. The contract kicked off back in October, signed by folks in Mayor Stephen Reed's office. It's a sole source agreement with the start-up, which promised civilian investigators in three cars plus two extra staffers working eight hours a day, five days a week, to handle minor crashes instead of police officers. City leaders picked Traffic Serve over other companies offering lower prices and more experience. Council members have raised flags, pointing out the firm isn't even fully set up to roll out operations in Montgomery yet. Mayor Reed pushed the idea as a way to free up officers for serious crime fighting and speed of service for drivers, stuck in fender benders.

1:04Still, the council's pushback highlights ongoing questions about the value and readiness of private firms stepping into police work. With the council still debating termination, this contracts future hangs in the balance and will keep an eye on how Montgomery sorts out its traffic response plans.