His duty hours are 5 a. m. to 1 p.m. Monday thru Friday. The Media Information Office is responsible for preparing press releases, scheduling media interviews and providing detailed information to members of the media and the public. To ensure that media representatives have access to a Public Information Officer 24 hours a day, patrol division supervisors assist the PIO in responding to media request for information. Training is a high priority in the department. All sworn officers receive a minimum of 72 hours of in-service training a year.
Many officers receive much more than the minimum.
Bill Hurter is the Training Officer. The Lake Patrol and the Police Firing Range falls under his supervision. The Tuscaloosa Police Firing range is located below the spillway on Lake Tuscaloosa. The facility has state of the art equipment for day and night use. In addition to the traditional range, the facility has a tactical training house and a repel tower.