Be it enacted by the Legislature of Alabama as follows:Sec 1-The United States, by or through any officer, agent or representative, may file in the office of the Judge of Probate, or registrar, or recorder of deeds of any county in this state, notice of a lien for any tax on the property of any person under the provisions of section thirty one hundred and eighty-six of the Revised Statutes of the United States as now, or here after amended.

Sec. 2-It shall be the duty of the judge of probate or registrar, or recorder of deeds in each county of this State, at the cost and expense of the county, to provide and keep as a public record, suitable book or books in which all such notices shall be recorded. Such notices shall be indexed and recorded under the same provisions of law of this state as relates to the filing and recording of conveyances of land, but no acknowledgment or probate of such notice is or shall be required.

Sec 3-The filing of such notice of lien shall operate as notice of the contents thereof from the time when the same is filed. Approved Feb. 10, 1923.

No. 72.)

AN ACT

(H. 121. Fite.

To provide for the government and control by civil service regulations of the police department and fire department in cities of the State of Alabama having a population of one hundred thousand or more, according to the last or any succeeding Federal census; to provide for a Civil Service Board in such cities, fixing their duties, authority and powers;

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Alabama as follows: That in all cities of the State of Alabama having one hundred thousand or more population according to the last Federal census, or which shall have such population according to any such census that may be hereafter taken, what is known as the Police Department and what is known as the Fire Department, and all officers and members of said departments, including the chiefs of said departments, must, and shall be under and governed by Civil Service regulations, and all persons who may hereafter be elected or appointed as officers or members of such departments, or either of them, or who may be hereafter employed in either of said departments as members of such, shall thereafter remain and continue in their respective employments as such municipal officers and employes of said cities, during good behavior, efficiency and obedience to such reasonable rules and regulations as may be from time to time prescribed by the Civil Service Board which is herein provided for, and as is hereinafter

provided. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to prevent or preclude the removal of any officer or member of either of said departments by the Civil Service Board for cause in the manner hereinafter prescribed. With reference to Members of Police Departments. Patrolman: The word "patrolman" as used herein, shall mean and apply to all motorcycle officers, drivers of automobiles used by the Police Department, and all other members of the Police Department below the grade of sergeant, but shall not include detectives. Officer: The word "officer" as used herein, shall mean and apply to all members of the Police Department of the grade of sergeant, detective, captain, assistant chief of police, and the chief of police. Members of the Police Department: The words "members of the police department" shall mean and include all officers, patrolmen, and detectives and wardens if detailed to warden's duty from the ranks of patrolmen or officers. With Reference to Members of Fire Departments. Members of the Fire Department: The words, "members of the Fire Department" or "members of the Fire Departments" as written herein shall mean and include the chief or chiefs of the Fire Departments, Assistant Chiefs of the Fire Departments, Battalion Chiefs, Captains, Lieutenants, Engineers, Assistant Engineers and firemen and all other men who are regularly assigned to and regularly carried on the pay roll of such Fire Departments, except hostlers and helpers.

Section 1. In all of said Cities coming under the provisions of this Act no member of the Fire Department, below the rank of Chief of Fire Department, shall be required to work more than one hundred and sixty-eight hours in any two weeks,-except in cases of urgent emergency.

Section 2. The President and Board of Commissioners or other governing body of all cities in the State of Alabama coming within the provision of this Act, shall within fifteen days after it's enactment into Law, appoint five persons who shall constitute and be known as the Civil Service Board of such City, one to serve for one year, one for two years, one for three years, one for four years and one for five years from time of appointment and until their respective successors are appointed and qualified, and in every year thereafter the governing body of such City shall in a like manner, appoint one person as the successor to the member of the Board whose term shall expire that year, such member to serve for a term of five years. Appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the unexpired term. Any member of the Board whose term shall expire shall be eligible to reappointment. Three members of the Board shall constitute a quorum. The personnel of the Civil Service Board to be appointed as herein stated shall consist as near as is practicable, in order to make it entirely representative, of one lawyer, one physician or surgeon,

one school teacher or principal of a school, one man known as a business man and one who is known as a laboring man or person or a member of Organized Labor.

Section 3. The Board of Commissioners or other governing body of such Cities may remove any member of the Civil Service Board for incompetency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office; but only after charges in writing have been preferred, five days notice given to the member effected, and a public trial to be had; but there shall be no appeal from the decision of such governing body.

Section 4. The Civil Service Board shall make rules to carry out the purpose of this article, and for examinations, appointments and removals in accordance with its provisions, and the Board may from time to time make changes in the existing rules.

- Section 5. All applicants for a place or position on the police force or fire department, as the case may be, shall file their application in writing with the Civil Service Board, said applications to be on the blank forms furnished by the Board, and all applicants must be subject to examination, which shall be public, competitive and open to all citizens of the United States, with specified limitations as to age, residence, health, habits and moral character. Such examinations shall be practical in their character and shall relate to those matters which will fairly test the relative capacity of the persons examined to intelligently discharge the duties of the position to which they aspire. All members of the Police Departments of such Cities and all members of the fire departments of such cities who have not been such member for twelve months or more prior to the day of the approval of this Act shall be considered applicants and be required to stand examination as applicants, as is provided for in this Section.

Section 6. The Board shall control all examinations, and whenever an examination is to take place, shall conduct such examination. Every applicant for examination shall pay to the City Comptroller or other City official performing the duties of treasurer the sum of one dollar and fifty cents and the receipt therefor shall be attached to his application.

Section 7. The chief of police so far as such police departments be concerned and the chief of the fire department so far as such fire departments be concerned, shall notify the Civil Service Board of vacancies in the ranks of patrolmen or firemen respectively and the Board shall furnish the respective chief with the name and address or names and addresses of the candidate or candidates standing highest on the eligible list, and same shall receive the appointment or appointments to fill such vacancy or vacancies. All appointments shall be on probation for a period of six months from date of appointment. Before the ex

piration of the period of probation the chiefs of the fire and police departments, respectively, may, by and with the consent of the Board, discharge any probationer in his respective department upon assigning in writing his reasons therefor to the Board. If a probationer be not discharged before the expiration of his probation his appointment shall be deemed complete.

Section 8. As soon after its organization as is practicable the Civil Service Board shall designate the Chief of Police and two captains and two of the members of the detective department and two sergeants and two patrolmen who shall together constitute the Promotion and Demotion Committee of such police departments; and also shall designate and appoint Promotion and Demotion Committees for such fire departments of such Cities, which Committee shall be constituted of the chief of the fire departments, one assistant chief of the fire departments, two captains, two lieutenants, one engineer and two firemen of the fire department. In the case of the police department the Promotion and Demotion Committee in the event of a vacancy or vacancies in the grade of sergegant, detective, captain or assistant chief of police or chief of police shall from the membership of the police department promote a person or persons, as the occasion may call for, to such vacancy or vacancies. In the case of the fire departments the Promotion and Demotion Committee of such departments in the event of a vacancy or vacancies in the grade of chief, assistant chief, battalion chief, captain, lieutenants, engineers, assistant engineer or firemen shall from the membership of such fire department promote a person or persons. as the occasion may call for, to such vacancy or vacancies. These promotions to be forthwith reported to the Civil Service Board and be subject to its approval. In the event of its disapproval of any promotion made by any of such committees the said Board will forthwith in writing notify said respective Committee of its veto and disapproval of such promotion or promotions, whereupon such Committee will select for promotion and name another member or members of such force or department, as the case may be, to fill such vacancy or vacancies; the second decision of such Committee, after veto or disapproval of promotion as first made shall be final and shall be reported to the Civil Service. Board who shall not be empowered to disapprove said second selection, but must approve same. In the said police department no one shall be eligible to appointment as a detective or plain. clothes officer unless he shall have served more than six months immediately prior to his appointment as a uniformed patrolman, and in such fire department no one shall be eligible to appointment to the position of lieutenant or other higher grade of officer unless he shall first have been a member of such fire department for a period of not less than two years from the date of such pro

motion. Any officer of the police or of the fire departments affected by this Act may be demoted under the following conditions: upon complaint in writing being made by the chief of the department of which he is a member or the Civil Service Board or by any three members of the Promotion and Demotion Committees of the department of which he be a member of efficiency, or unfitness in any respect, the officer complained of shall be notified to appear before the Committee of Promotion and Demotion which is organized for his respective department where he shall be fully heard in a public meeting before said Committee; and upon said hearing the said Board is empowered to dismiss the complaint or charges or to demote said officer according to the evidence and matters presented on the hearing may warrant or justify. No officer shall be demoted by the vote of less than six of the Promotion and Demotion Committee. The decision of said Committee as to demotion shall be final, unless an appeal be within three days thereafter taken by said demoted officer to the Civil Service Board where the charges or complaint shall be heard de novo. The Promotion and Demotion Committee named by the Civil Service Board shall be appointed by said last named Board and hold until January 1st, 1924, and thereafter they shall be appointed annually to hold until the first of January of each succeeding year. The Civil Service Board are authorized and empowered to fill all vacancies on said Committee of Promotion and Demotion.

Section 9. The Civil Service Board may in an emergency, or in cases where it deems proper, authorize the Chief of Police to appoint for temporary service, such number of police officers as in their opinion the existing conditions demand. All officers so appointed shall be furnished with badges, said badge to be different in size and design from the regulation badges used by the regular members of the police and detective force, and must have the words, "Special Officer" across the face of them in large letters. The Chief of Police shall furnish the Board with the names and addresses of all persons to whom he has issued special badges and at the expiration of their appointment shall cause all such badges to be taken up. From and after the approval of this Act by the Governor all outstanding commissions conferring police authority issued to persons other than those who are members of the police department to such Cities shall become cancelled and void; and thereafter it shall be unlawful for any person to have in his possession any such commission any badge. of a police officer of such Cities unless same has been issued to him by the Civil Service Board, respectively affected thereby, and after such person has made bond with good and sufficient sureties to be approved by said Board. Said bond to be in the sum of $2,000.; and made payable to the City wherein said Com