Alabama Law Enforcement Agency

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is a law enforcement agency serving the U.S. state of Alabama. It exists within the Executive Branch of State Government to coordinate public safety in Alabama. It was formed on 1 January 2015 by the merger of 12 state law enforcement agencies. The Secretary, its chief executive, is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Governor of Alabama. ALEA is divided into two functional divisions, the Department of Public Safety and the State Bureau of Investigations. The Secretary of ALEA is responsible for appointing a Director of both divisions, after consultation with the Governor.

Creation
The creation of ALEA was proposed by Senator Del Marsh and others in Senate Bill 108 (SB108) during the 2013 regular session of the Alabama Legislature. The bill passed both houses and was signed by then Governor Robert Bentley on 19 March 2013 as Act 2013-67 and codified in the Code of Alabama 1975, Title 41 - State Government, Chapter 27 - Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency.

According to Senator Marsh, the intent of SB108 was to operate public safety "...in a more efficient, cost-effective way.” This bill and its proposed consolidation of preexisting state-level law enforcement agencies (Legacy Agencies) was based on recommendations of a Public Safety Study Group created in 2012 to streamline the state's 22 agencies with law enforcement functions and cut spending.

List of ALEA Secretaries

 * Hal Taylor
 * 12 April 2017 - Present
 * Stan Stabler
 * 17 February 2016 - 12 April 2017
 * Spencer Collier
 * 5 April 2013 - 22 March 2016