MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is expanding hours of operation at the Eutaw Driver License Examining Office and eight other field offices in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation to better serve Alabama and make services more convenient for citizens who live in outlying areas.
“Beginning Monday, March 20, our Driver License Division will operate its Eutaw office from 8 a.m. to noon and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. each Tuesday,” Secretary of Law Enforcement Stan Stabler said. “Combined with the expanded hours of operation at eight other outlying offices, we will offer 26 additional days each month of service to our citizens.”
The Eutaw office is at Greene County Courthouse, 400 Morrow Avenue.
The SOS Coalition for Justice and Democracy sponsored a caravan last fall to all of the driver’s license offices closed in the Black Belt region. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a successful complaint with the U. S. Department of Transportation closing these offices in rural African-American majority counties.
An Alabama Drivers License is a critical state authorized photo identification card needed to be able to vote. Without a valid Alabama license voters have to secure a special voter registration ID, which is available from the Voter Registrar’s office. SOS and other civil rights and social justice organizations in the state protested the closure of the driver’s license offices because it made it more difficult for voters to secure the necessary photo ID to be able to vote.
The other eight locations are in Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Perry and Wilcox counties. Depending on size of town or city and demand, office hours vary from one day each week to three days each month.
• Centreville (Bibb): 8 a.m.-noon and 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. the first and third Thursday
• Union Springs (Bullock): 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. each Thursday
• Greenville (Butler): 8 a.m.-noon and 1-4:30 p.m. each Monday
• Greensboro (Hale): 8 a.m.-noon and 12:30-2:30 p.m. each Thursday
• Hayneville (Lowndes): 8 a.m.-noon and 12:30-4:30 p.m. each Wednesday
• Tuskegee (Macon): 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. each Tuesday and Wednesday
• Marion (Perry): 8 a.m.-noon and 12:30-2:30 p.m. each Tuesday
• Camden (Wilcox): 8 a.m.-noon and 12:30-2:30 p.m. the first, second and third Tuesday ALEA makes every effort to meet the needs of the state’s citizens. In October 2015, the agency reduced operating hours in 31 outlying Driver License Offices because of limited funding. ALEA adjusted operations in November 2016 and expanded services in seven locations, including Troy, Livingston, Rockford and Butler.