Nearly two dozen homicide suspects have been arrested since May under a new initiative by the Birmingham Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.

As the city continues to battle a deadly surge in crime, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin urged police officials to continue finding new ways to tackle an old problem.

“We’re always looking to strategize, be more efficient in what we do,” Police Chief Scott Thurmond said, “and provide a safer environment for all of our citizens.”

Thurmond and Northern District of Alabama Marshal Marty Keely held a news conference Thursday to discuss the latest crime-fighting strategy. They were joined by more than a dozen other law enforcement and government officials.

Thurmond said police know crime typically increases during the summer months, so they developed a plan to combat that crime wave.

“We have a history of getting offenders off the streets before they reoffend,” he said. “The people best equipped to make those arrests are our partners at the U.S. Marshals Service.”

In the Birmingham area, the U.S. Marshals Service operates the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force.

“We wanted to target those who are the most prolific violent offenders, and in doing so we compiled a list of those offenders,” the chief said.

According to Thurmond, the result so far has been the arrest of 26 people since May 10, wanted for homicide.

Those names have not been released, but Thurmond said not all of the arrests are for suspects wanted in the Birmingham cases. They could be murder suspects wanted in other Jefferson County jurisdictions and even in other states.

A total of 121 people were arrested for serious crimes, including 23 suspected of homicide. Of these 121 people, 21 were wanted for theft, 22 for sexual assault and 17 for aggravated assault.

During that time, Thurmond said, authorities seized 20 firearms.

“Someone may come from another state and be here. If they committed a murder in another state, what are they going to do here?” he said. “So we want to get them off the streets, bring justice to our victims and bring some peace to our community members. It’s a much bigger picture.”

“If these individuals had been allowed to walk the streets of Birmingham, what would crime have looked like if they had been allowed to continue doing what they do every day?” Thurmond said. “I truly believe it has had an impact on the safety of the citizens of Birmingham.”

Keely said the initiative is underway.

“This is not going to stop today,” he said. “They are on the streets right now … doing everything they can to reduce violent crime and keep the individuals responsible for these crimes off the streets.”

Prior to the press conference, there was a one-hour private summit with people from across law enforcement, city and county government, and beyond, to discuss public safety issues and the root causes of crime.

“We can’t get away with arrests,” Thurmond said. “There are other steps that need to be taken so we can provide a safer city.”

“This group and many others are committed to getting this done,” he said. “As one of our colleagues said at the meeting, it takes time. We didn’t get here overnight and, unfortunately, we won’t get here overnight.”