Lieutenant Christopher R. Hays has served as the Shift Commander for Bravo and Charlie shifts, as well as the South Precinct Task Force since February 2018. The South Precinct is comprised of four shifts and one task force, and is a very diverse area. The precinct combines business, entertainment, and residential areas with multiple cultures and a wide range of economic statuses.
Lieutenant Hays has worked closely with the Birmingham Police Academy in implementing new training for the department. The Injured/Downed Officer Rescue training focuses on standardizing a method to evacuate an officer who has been wounded in the line of duty. The methods include the use of vehicles for rescue from roadways or parking lots, and utilizing four officer teams to rescue officers from buildings. Basic first aid is discussed, and methods to transport the officer to a safe area where the officer receives medical treatment. The goal is to reduce the time an injured officer is in an unsafe area, and get them to treatment as soon as possible.
Lieutenant Hays was born in Clearwater Florida, but raised in Cullman, Alabama. Lieutenant Hays has 17 years of law enforcement experience. He started his law enforcement career with the Alabama Department of Corrections where he was a Corrections Officer for five months before accepting the job with the Birmingham Police Department in October 2002. He started his career at West Precinct, where he was a patrol officer for five and one half years. Lieutenant Hays was promoted to Sergeant in 2008. Lieutenant Hays was then transferred to East Precinct where he was on the morning shift for four years. Lieutenant Hays was then selected to be a sergeant with the City Wide Task Force (C.W.T.F.) for three years, Neighborhood Enforcement Team (N.E.T.) sergeant for five months, then was assigned to East Precinct again where he was the East Precinct Task Force sergeant for two years.
Lieutenant Hays is a certified instructor through the Federal Bureau of Investigations Law Enforcement Instructor Development Course, and is certified as an instructor with the Stinger Spike Strip system, and Safe and Legal Traffic Stops (S.A.L.T.S.) course. Lieutenant Hays graduated from Cullman High School in 1992 and served in the United States Navy from July 1992 to May 1996. Lieutenant Hays graduated from Wallace State Community College in May 2000 with an Associates in Applied Science in Computer Aided Drafting (Cum Laude). Lieutenant Hays then graduated from the University of Phoenix in February 2015 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Management (Magna Cum Laude).
Lieutenant Hays is a current member of:
Fraternal Order of Police
International Honor Society for Business, Management, Administration
Sigma Beta Delta
Lieutenant Hays is married to Mrs. Linda Darlene Hays, and stepfather of Whitney L. Smith.
christopher.hays@birminghamal.gov
(205)936-2510