Grant Humphries takes the reins of the Alabaster Police Department.
Grant Humphries comes from a long line of law enforcement officers and police chiefs. His grandfather, George Humphries, served as the longtime police chief in Vincent, and his father Sherman Humphries, a Vietnam veteran, served as Wilsonville’s police chief for 12 years. Other uncles were also involved in law enforcement, including his uncle Terry Newman, who followed Humphries’ father as Wilsonville’s chief, and another who worked for the Alabaster Police Department.
It’s no wonder then, that after Chief Curtis Rigney retired at the end of May, the city didn’t wait long to name Humphries as the department’s new chief of police.
Growing up in Wilsonville, Humphries was surrounded by law enforcement on all sides. “There were always law enforcement people at our house,” Humphries recalls. “And it was always a conversation in our house. Watching my family led me to public service.”
But after graduating from Vincent High School, Humphries took a slight detour. After working in a metal fabrication shop during high school, Humphries went to work for SMI Steel. In 2004, encouraged by his uncle who was working for the Alabaster Police Department, Humphries felt the pull toward making law enforcement his career. After talking to his wife, Janette, who encouraged him to take the chance, he decided to make the leap, and as he says, “the rest is history.”
Humphries started in 2004 as a patrol officer, and in 2008 was promoted to the criminal investigations department as a detective. In 2012, Humphries was named the investigations department’s sergeant and then lieutenant in 2016. In 2018, he was promoted to the captain over patrol where he remained until being named chief in 2025.
After going to work for APD, Humphries went back to school, earning his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, with a minor in public safety, from Herzing University in 2009. He graduated from the FBI National Academy in 2018 and obtained his Certified Law Enforcement Executive certification. He was selected by fellow law enforcement leaders to lead the Shelby County Major Crimes Task Force from 2012 to 2018.
With 21 years of experience in Alabaster and working hand in hand with Chief Rigney, Humphries knows exactly what he wants to bring with his leadership. “I lead by example,” Humphries says. “I like to be visible and approachable.”
Humphries also stresses the importance of clear communication, both with his officers and with citizens. “I want clear communication internally and to be as transparent as we can be externally,” Humphries says. “Community trust in this department is one of my top priorities.”
Other priorities for Humphries are officer wellness and training and data-driven police work. “We want to use all the tools available to us so that we’re patrolling with a purpose,” Humphries says. For officer wellness, the new police department has been a gamechanger with its state-of-the-art fitness center. Four officers are currently training to be the department’s de facto physical trainers to make sure all officers stay in good physical shape. The administration has also brought in nutritionists and meal prep experts to present to officers about healthy food choices while on the job.
Humphries points to the quality of officers in the department and community at large. “We have a really good community here,” Humphries says. “We’re all police, and the people here understand the responsibility of seeing something and saying something.” Humphries also praises the city’s eight School Resource Officers who serve as a bridge between the police department and the school system.
Now that Humphries is chief, he’d like to stay. “I’m loyal to Alabaster, they gave me my shot in law enforcement” he says. “I never want to work anywhere else. My goals are to be here for the community, treat everyone with respect, and build a department the community can be proud of.”
Humphries has been married to his wife, Janette, for 25 years and has six children—five boys and one girl—and 10 grand kids.