This is an opinion column.

We’re not there yet. Two gun homicides and the shooting of two others in just two days this week were stark and sobering reminders. We’re not there yet.

We’re not yet the “safest city in America,” as Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin’s vaunted crime commission aims us to be. Safe for all residents.

Safe, at least, for all who want to be safe.

We’re just not there. We’re closer, though. Closer than we’ve been in a long while. Closer certainly than we were at the end of bloody 2024.

A 47 percent drop in homicides in the first three months of the year (19) relative to the first quarter of bloody 2024 (36) and a homicide clearance rate exceeding the national average are a welcome relief, worthy of gratefulness for the lives saved, as we still honor the grief of too many.

The first-quarter homicide tally was the city’s lowest over any quarter since the second three months of 2017, according to an AL.com analysis.

The mayor wasted zero time capitalizing on the momentum. On the first day of the second quarter, Woodfin ripped the “interim” tag from Michael Pickett and named him the city’s new police chief. He lauded Pickett’s leadership style and credited the latest stats, in part, to new strategies and initiatives, including an “8-point crime plan” implemented in renewed alignment with other agencies and criminal justice departments.

Pickett, a 40-year-old Birmingham native with 20 years in the Birmingham Police Department, had been interim chief since December.

Former BPD Chief A.C. Roper, still a broadly respected and even beloved figure here, said Pickett and BPD “should be proud of the results thus far.”

He acknowledged, too, that we’re not there yet.

“The citizens deserve some good news, and the first quarter was a great start,” he told me. “The key will be sustaining the progress over time to create a lasting impact for Birmingham’s families and neighborhoods. The right ingredients—focused strategies, strong partnerships, and a shared commitment—are falling in place.”

Woodfin said the decision to elevate Pickett came after asking himself three questions: “Can I trust you? Are you committed? Do you care?” he shared at the announcement.

“I trust Michael Pickett,” he continued. “Chief Pickett has shown, prior to being in his interim position, that he is not only committed to the men and women to his left and right whom he has served with; he’s also committed to this community. It’s without question that he absolutely cares. Because I’m easily able to answer those three questions … it’s an easy choice.”

It’s an intriguingly timed choice, as well. The city charter awards the mayor the sole authority to appoint the police chief. So with our next mayoral election just over four months away, Pickett’s tenure would be vulnerable to be being prematurely shortened should a new mayor win. Such a quick switch in the city’s top cop would not be fair to Pickett and BPD.

Most importantly, it would be unfair to the folks they strive to protect, particularly at this still tenuous time.

Yet, the appointment may also reflect Woodfin’s intrepid faith in being elected to a third consecutive term.

Pickett notched several successes in recent years at BPD, most notably as Law Enforcement Branch Director for the 2022 World Games in Birmingham and architect of Operation Knight Rider, which all but eliminated illegal racing and exhibition driving on city streets. And support for the ascension of this son of the city appears to stretch sincerely beyond the mayor’s office.

Pickett still no doubt must win over pockets of a department that are wont to look side-eyed at any of the mayor’s BPD moves. Now, he has the opportunity to do so without the “interim” cloud of uncertainty looming above him. And with a clear runway ahead.

Though we’re not there yet.

“Meaningful change doesn’t come easy,” Roper said.

As the next quarters unfold, as we wake up each morning and peek warily at the headlines — or, as some Birmingham residents tragically still do, go to sleep praying for a night void of gunfire — this is clear: Woodfin has placed his political future, wherever it may lead, on the star-stacked shoulders of his new chief.

There remain myriad crime commission recommendations the mayor must implement or dutifully explain why he will not do so. Will he, for instance, or will he not appoint a crime czar, as the commission advocated?

Atop any actions henceforth taken to get us there, Woodfin’s mayoral legacy largely rests on picking Pickett. On the new chief’s ability to lead the city out of the plague of gun violence that threatened to overshadow its significant economic growth and other areas of progress.

Strike that, still threatens those truths.

We’re closer than we’ve been in far too long, thankfully. Many residents feel safer than they’ve felt in far, far too long.

Yet we’re not there. Not right now. Not yet.

Let’s be better tomorrow than we are today. My column appears on AL.com, and digital editions of The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, and Mobile Press-Register. Tell me what you think at [email protected], and follow me at twitter.com/roysj, Instagram @roysj and BlueSky.