BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The Birmingham Police Department is rolling out new strategies to fight crime.

Department leaders announced seven initiatives Monday that will address violent crime.

Birmingham is deploying two units: a special enforcement team and a crime suppression unit. These units are made up of specially selected officers who patrol areas with high criminal activity. Their main priority is to find violent criminals and put them behind bars.

“These two units of highly motivated individuals, led by their commanders, will seek out the shooters,” said Birmingham Interim Police Chief Michael Pickett. “They will seek out the 1% of our community who choose to break the law. They will arrest them, and we will report out on their arrests on a regular basis.”

Pickett said stolen vehicles are often used in shootings, robberies and murders. To combat these crimes, he is teaming up with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to create a stolen vehicle task force.

“We want to interrupt every tool criminals use in crimes, whether it’s illegal money, whether it’s illegal guns that are being trafficked, whether its stolen vehicles, whatever tools criminals use,” Pickett said.

The department has also launched a discharge team.

“There goal is simple: Catch the shooters before they kill,” Pickett said.

Officers from this team will focus on non-fatal shootings.

“If someone chooses to shoot into a dwelling or into a car, and they are not successful in killing someone, we want to go ahead and arrest that person now before they have the ability to take a life,” Pickett said. “That is our goal in law enforcement is prevention as well.”

In addition to these teams, the department is also increasing its partnerships with federal agencies in the area like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They will work to address illegal firearm trafficking and purchases.

Pickett said the most violent time in Birmingham is during the night, which is the same time when police have the least leadership on duty.

“We will be implementing utility captains, and that is going to be at the precincts,” Pickett said. “So from there, we are going to have more of a command presence during the evening shift hours, those busy hours, to hold our folks accountable, to be able to take command of a situation and just make sure are folks are doing what they need to do and being where they need to be.”