By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Prichard, Alabama, Mayor Carletta Davis announced Wednesday that the city will place its police officers on leave and begin a rebuilding process following an ongoing corruption investigation.
- The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office has handled most policing calls in Prichard since June, when a Prichard officer was arrested; several more officers, including Chief Walter Knight, have since been arrested.
- A grand jury recommended abolishing the Prichard Police Department, and the city force has shrunk from roughly two dozen officers to just over a dozen.
- Sheriff Paul Burch said the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office would significantly reduce its coverage in Prichard starting Sept. 4 absent a long-term services agreement.
- Davis said the city has hired a consulting team to help rebuild the department and intends to pursue accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
PRICHARD, Ala. — Prichard Mayor Carletta Davis said Wednesday the city will place its police officers on leave and begin a rebuilding process for its police department, which has been under Mobile County Sheriff’s Office coverage since a corruption investigation began earlier this year.
“The city of Prichard is rebuilding its police force, not abandoning it,” Davis said in a statement, adding that she and Sheriff Paul Burch “are both committed to rebuilding the Prichard Police Department and ensuring public safety throughout this transition.”
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office has handled most policing calls in Prichard since mid-June, when local and federal agencies announced the arrest of a Prichard police officer as part of an ongoing corruption investigation. Several more officers have since been arrested, including Chief Walter Knight.
A grand jury has recommended abolishing the department and rebuilding it from scratch. City discussions at an Aug. 5 forum revealed the force had shrunk from around two dozen officers to a little over a dozen. Davis acknowledged the department had “bad actors,” along with a lack of policy, oversight, funding and recruiting challenges tied to low pay.
Burch reiterated this week that the strain on his department’s personnel and finances is unsustainable long-term, saying the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office would significantly reduce its coverage in Prichard starting Sept. 4 absent a long-term services agreement. Davis said she met with Burch Wednesday morning and that his office will continue providing services while the city works with its legal team on an intergovernmental agreement to submit to the City Council.
Davis said she met with Prichard police officers Tuesday and that they will soon be placed on leave while the city conducts “a comprehensive administrative review and rebuilding process.” She said the city has retained an outside consulting team, without providing further details, and that officers on leave will have the opportunity to meet with that team. Davis said the city intends to pursue accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies as part of the rebuilding effort.