BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A three-month FBI operation resulted in 228 arrests across central and north Alabama, authorities announced Tuesday, as local law enforcement leaders credited interagency cooperation and community involvement with helping reduce violent crime.
The FBI Birmingham Field Office reported 32 federal indictments and 20 federal convictions during Operation Summer Heat, a nationwide initiative targeting violent offenders, gangs, drug trafficking, child exploitation and illegally possessed firearms.
The announcement came as Birmingham and Jefferson County officials reported declining violence in their jurisdictions. Authorities did not attribute those declines solely to the summer operation, instead pointing to broader partnerships and enforcement efforts throughout the year.
“I am encouraged by our overall decline, but I am not satisfied,” Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway said. “We still have people being hurt and we still have work to do.”
Agents and officers seized 53 illegally possessed firearms, 3.5 kilograms of fentanyl and 29.7 kilograms of cocaine during the operation, according to the FBI’s reported results. Child exploitation investigations identified nine children and located 12 children.
The announcement listed arrests, indictments and convictions as separate measures. Those totals should not be added together as a count of people prosecuted, and an arrest or indictment does not establish guilt.
FBI Birmingham Special Agent in Charge David R. Fitzgibbons said the operation focused on violent offenders, gangs, protecting children and removing illegal firearms and drugs from communities. He emphasized that the work depended on cooperation among agencies.
“Not one agency can do this alone,” Fitzgibbons said.
Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said the city was seeing a 44% year-over-year decline in homicides. He credited cooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, along with the community, for helping improve public safety.
“When we work together and we’re stronger, that means our communities are truly safer and lives are being saved,” Pickett said.
The figures announced Tuesday reflect different jurisdictions and reporting measures, rather than a single statewide crime count. Birmingham’s homicide figure covers the city, while Pettway’s figures concern crimes reported to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Pettway said reported Part I violent crimes in his office’s jurisdiction fell from 194 to 135 between Jan. 1 and Oct. 5 compared with the same period in 2025, a decrease of about 30%. He also reported declines of 60% in homicides, 48% in robberies and 31% in aggravated assaults.
The Alabama effort was part of a nationwide operation that resulted in nearly 9,000 arrests. The 228 arrests announced locally cover central and north Alabama, not the entire state.
Fitzgibbons said the agencies’ joint work would continue beyond the summer initiative.
“Our commitment to protecting our communities doesn’t stop here,” he said. “It doesn’t stop with Operation Summer Heat or any other initiatives.”