Two-Time Acting TPD Chief Tubbs Honored For Service

Tuscaloosa AL

02 February, 2021

7:48 PM

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TUSCALOOSA, AL. — Acting Tuscaloosa Police Chief Mitts Tubbs had only been on the job a few weeks when the department suffered one of the worst tragedies in the city's history with the 2019 shooting death of TPD investigator Dornell Cousette. During that heart-wrenching time, he was far from green when it came to knowing what the job entailed and how to be a leader for every officer in the department. Click here to subscribe to our daily email newsletters and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices for free. You can also support local journalism by donating as little as $5 a month to become a supporting member or by downloading our free Patch mobile app. "I can't describe to you the strength of the man beside me during one of the most horrible events for our city and department and he was a tower of strength during that time and our city benefited by his leadership," said Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox during Tuesday's regular City Council meeting. Tubbs has served as interim police chief twice, once for six months in 2012 when then-Police Chief Steve Anderson was accepted into the FBI Academy and then again when Anderson retired on Aug. 30, 2019. To honor his service, Maddox said history would now remember him as Chief Tubbs, removing the acting title to underscore his dedication to the Tuscaloosa Police Department. The mayor also presented the longtime public servant with a framed portrait that will now hang in the chief's conference room once renovations are completed at TPD headquarters. Tubbs began at the department on Oct. 5, 1987 and has worked in narcotics, traffic, criminal investigations and also served as commander of TPD's patrol division. One of his most important roles, as pointed out by Maddox, could be an easy one to overlook as the mayor praised Tubbs for being a mentor to current Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley, who was appointed was sworn in to the role in March 2020. "It's been an honor and was the honor of my career to be able to serve as acting police chief," Tubbs said. "I have a staff that's great and had all the confidence in the world that it would be successful." Each member of the current City Council also had high praise for Tubbs, with a couple of elected officials recalling his powerful words given at Cousette's funeral. "Thinking about that, it's very emotional," said District 5 Councilor Kip Tyner. "I still get tingles." Tubbs expressed his gratitude and mentioned that he has no plans of retiring from the Tuscaloosa Police Department anytime soon. "It has been an honor and I hope to give you several more good years," he said. "I've had the opportunity to work with councils for 30-something years. I can say this council and mayor have supported our department more than anyone could think of." Follow Patch here for updates or on Facebook and Twitter.