Ex-police chief sues Alabama city, saying his reputation was ruined by report on officer abuses

[December 27, 2024]  By SAFIYAH RIDDLE

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A fired police chief in Alabama says a city report deliberately ruined his reputation with allegations of unlawful excessive force and discrimination by officers, and has filed a lawsuit this week against the mayor, a prosecutor and other officials for slander and libel.

There are currently multiple federal civil rights lawsuits against the police department in Mobile, Alabama, and a report by the city published in April said former chief Paul Prine's “autocratic demeanor” influenced officer interactions with residents, especially in the Black community.

Prine called the report a “witch hunt” in retaliation for grievances he filed against the city's director of public safety and chief of staff in 2023, according to his lawsuit filed Tuesday. Prine alleged “willful, false, malicious, defamatory and slanderous statements” were made against him by former federal prosecutor Kenyen Brown, who was brought in by city leaders to head the investigation.

Mayor Sandy Stimpson and numerous city administrators and council members are also named as defendants, with Prine saying the mayor and his chief of staff directed Brown to disparage him in the report.

Spokespeople for both the city and city council declined to comment on behalf of the city’s defendants.

Brown declined to comment on pending litigation, but said in an email, “We appreciate the opportunity to have conducted a thorough investigative report commissioned by the City of Mobile."

The mayor launched the investigation into the Mobile Police Department after four high-profile police killings and two instances of alleged excessive force in 2023. In interviews with Mobile residents, investigators said citizens “generally expressed a palpable fear of encountering MPD officers for fear that they would be unjustly killed or abused in some way."

On Monday, the mother of 16-year-old Randall Adjessom, who SWAT police shot and killed during a no-knock, predawn raid of his home, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and police department. The family of Jawan Dallas, who died after police tackled and tased him in July 2023, filed a $36 million wrongful death lawsuit in December 2023. Grand juries declined to indict any officers involved in the four deaths investigated in the report.

Prine was placed on administrative leave leading up to the report's release, and was fired on April 30, a week after the report was published and following nearly three decades in law enforcement. In the weeks leading up to his termination, a city attorney offered to let Prine retire with benefits if he announced the end of his career with remarks approved by the mayor, the lawsuit alleged. Prine declined that offer.

Prine later told Fox10 that the investigation had been about "veiled threats and a power struggle” with “those that are in charge,” without elaborating.

Prine's lawsuit says Brown misrepresented an interview with the then-police chief in order to make it seem like he did not have a clear sense of department disciplinary policy, citing a recording of their conversation. According to Prine's complaint, the scope of the investigation went beyond the initial mandate of the six violent episodes involving police in order to question Prine's leadership and intentionally damage his reputation.

Brown said his investigation found officers allegedly violated the constitution for things like beating a handcuffed suspect, detaining people without probable cause, or repeatedly trying to unlock people's cell phones.

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