U.S. Marshal Martin Keely Receives Crime Stopper of the Year Award from Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama

Birmingham, AL – Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama named C. Martin Keely, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Alabama, as winner of its 2020 Crime Stopper of the Year Award at a ceremony in Birmingham Wednesday. The award is annually given for dedication to fighting crime and for support and commitment to Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama.

Keely acknowledged the importance of his agency working with Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama. "It's often been said, 'See something, say something,'" said Keely. "Crime Stoppers is the conduit between the public and law enforcement, providing an anonymous method to report crime without fear."

Keely's district also houses the headquarters office of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, which Keely said shared in receiving the award. "The Regional Fugitive Task Force could not succeed without our local law enforcement partner agencies allowing some of their officers to serve full time on the task force," said Keely. “Those partnerships have contributed to the success of the task force in taking some of the most dangerous suspects off the street. In the past 12 months, the Regional Fugitive Task Force has arrested more than 760 fugitives, 119 of them wanted for homicide, in the 31 counties of the Northern District of Alabama."

Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama Board Chairman Frank Barefield and U.S. Marshal Martin Keely (Photo courtesy of Crime Stoppers)  Keely wanted to ensure that the many law enforcement partners that work closely with the U.S. Marshals were recognized as contributing to the award: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Alabama Pardons and Parole, Alabaster Police Department, Birmingham Police Department, Etowah County Sheriff's Office, Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Hoover Police Department, Huntsville Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, Madison County Sheriff's Office, Northport Police Department, Oxford Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff's Office, Tuscaloosa Police Department, Vestavia Hills Police Department, 7th Judicial Major Crimes Unit, and 17th Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

"We want to thank Marshal Keely for his great service to our state, and in particular to the expertise he brings in law enforcement to Alabama and to the entire metro Birmingham area," Crime Stoppers Board Chairman Frank Barefield said. "Marty has committed himself to fighting crime and has been highly supportive of our organization’s efforts here in central Alabama. Crime Stoppers exists to work with both law enforcement agencies and the community to improve the quality of life for our citizens, and it's an honor to recognize him in this way."

Keely is responsible for U.S. Marshals operations within the Northern District of Alabama. The district is composed of 31 counties with a main office in Birmingham and sub-offices in Huntsville and Tuscaloosa. The Northern District of Alabama is also home to the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force Headquarters. Marshal Keely has been involved with the regional task force since its inception in 2006.

Keely began his law enforcement career in 1969, joining the Mountain Brook, Alabama, Police Department. In 1987 he was promoted to the rank of Chief of Police. In 1990, while serving as Chief of Police, he received the U.S. Marshals Service Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award for his work on the Judge Robert S. Vance bombing case. President George W. Bush appointed Keely as U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Alabama in 2002.