By Barry Wise Smith & Photos by Brit Huckabay
Police Chief Curtis Rigney and Fire Chief Tim Love lead their departments with honor and experience.
Chief Curtis Rigney and Chief Tim Love came to their positions in different ways, but they share a deep appreciation for the city they serve. Curtin Rigney has spent the majority of his 33-year law enforcement career in Alabaster, working his way up through the ranks until being named Chief of Police in 2012. Tim Love, however, spent the majority of his 39 years in firefighting with the city of Birmingham until he retired and landed his “dream job” as Fire Chief for the Alabaster Fire Department in 2018.
Chief Rigney grew up in Hoover knowing he wanted a career in law enforcement. “I always wanted to be a detective,” he says. After receiving his Associate Degree from Marion Military Academy, Rigney earned his degree in criminal justice from the University of Alabama.
He went to work in Alabaster and worked his way up through the ranks from patrol officer to undercover narcotics (“hardest I ever worked”) to reaching his goal of becoming a detective. He was promoted several times, eventually serving as a Captain and Deputy Chief. He won the top job in 2012. Today he leads the department of 73 sworn officers and 17 civilian personnel.
On the back of every Alabaster police vehicle is the department motto: Duty, Honor Community, words that Chief Rigney says are paramount. “Our main emphasis is customer service,” he says. “We don’t put a huge emphasis on writing a lot of tickets. We put our emphasis on helping people.” Rigney is also proud of his officers. He tells a story of his officers responding to a disabled vehicle call on I65 to find a young marine traveling home to Tennessee to see his dying grandmother. His pickup truck died on the interstate in the middle of the night, and no repair shops would be open until the next morning. One of the responding officers had the same truck as the young man so he drove home, removed the starter from him own truck, and installed it in the young man’s truck sending him on his way. “We’re public servants, and that’s the servant part,” Rigney says. “Those are the stories people don’t hear.”
Another source of pride is the new police station currently under construction near City Hall. “It’s been a long time coming, and we’re very excited,” he says. The new facility will include a roll call room with stadium seating so that all shifts can gather in one space for daily updates, a training room, a computer and forensics lab, an evidence lab, a Sally Port and additional vehicle bay for evidence processing. a secure parking lots for employees, and state-of-the-art technology throughout.
Chief Tim Love spent his career in the city of Birmingham until he retired. He came to Alabaster briefly in 2016 as the training officer but left for the Alabama Fire College in Tuscaloosa. But in 2018, he landed his “dream job” when he returned to Alabaster as Fire Chief. “A bad day here is not a bad day,” Love says. “We’re very fortunate.”
Love manages a department of 61 firefighters and is thankful for the top-of-the-line equipment. The department recently purchased a new ladder truck to add to its fleet of distinctive yellow rescue vehicles. “We have great people here,” he says. “When we have an equipment issue and we ask, they make things happen. If it makes sense, and the city can afford it, they’ll make sure we have it.”
He’s also thankful for the community support the department receives, “People are constantly dropping off food and treats. The citizens are so appreciative.”
Both chiefs are thankful for the spirit of cooperation between the two departments. “It’s not always the case, but we’re fortunate to get along so well,” says Chief Rigney. “We train together and do projects together.” Chief Love agrees, “In the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping, it’s the police and fire who are on the job.”