Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall says the newly-formed Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit is already making a dent in Montgomery’s growing crime problem.

Marshall detailed some of the task force’s recent progress, including multiple trafficking and felony warrant-related arrests. The group is operating with the support of the U.S. Department of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), and the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.

The arrests and seizures mentioned in the Attorney General’s post took place in just a 24 period.

In the last 24 hours, the Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit (MACS) has removed 2 handguns, over 17 grams of Fentanyl and more than 17 grams of Methamphetamine off the streets of Montgomery. It also served 6 felony arrest warrants. Lawlessness will not be tolerated in this city. pic.twitter.com/GgujGV9AV1

— Attorney General Steve Marshall (@AGSteveMarshall) August 16, 2024

During its first two weeks, the task force reported conducting 413 traffic stops, making 49 arrests for various charges, executing 195 arrest warrants, recovering five stolen vehicles, and seizing 33 firearms.

In July, Marshall explained the purpose of the unit.

“As Alabamians, we do not tolerate violent crime, and that is a mantra that has to be adopted by this city,” said Marshall. “We have to support the men and women of law enforcement with all of our efforts because this effort is not some innovative program. It’s  not something that we’ve taken from another state or that we’ve adopted from some criminal justice professor’s paper. This is Law Enforcement 101. It is using bodies to saturate areas where there is criminal activity and using the tools available to law enforcement to do our job.”

The crime suppression unit was formed in response to the skyrocketing crime rate in Montgomery.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten