Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said Tuesday that his administration is forwarding investigative materials and contracts to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office to investigate claims of improprieties raised by suspended Police Chief Paul Prine.

Stimpson’s remarks came during a pre-conference meeting of the Mobile City Council. The council could vote later today to fire the police chief, which Stimpson is requesting. They are also expected to meet separately to discuss the possibility of hiring a third-party to investigate Prine’s claims of improper contracting and handling of intelligence-based policing within the administration.

Stimpson said there is no reason for the council to hire a third-party to do a separate review outside the Attorney General’s office.

“There is no higher investigative authority in the State of Alabama than the Attorney General,” Stimpson said. “To hire another law firm to do an investigation is to get another opinion from someone with no prosecutorial powers.”

Some council members raised concerns earlier Tuesday about not knowing specifically what kind of information was forwarded to Marshall’s office for review.

“There is nothing better than having a true outside source (conduct an investigation),” Councilman William Carroll said. “This is not finger pointing contest here, but this is the city council and the City of Mobile deliberately wants to re-establish the public trust in a truly transparent process.”

The request of the Attorney General’s involvement also comes at the conclusion of two internal probes into Prine’s claims, Stimpson said. The first was conducted by the law firm Burr & Foreman, and the second by the city’s Office of Professional Responsibility. Neither investigation turned up any criminal or ethical misconduct, according to Stimpson. City Attorney Ricardo Woods is a lawyer at Burr & Foreman.

“I’ve heard your voice, and the voices of the citizens and the voices of the city council and I’m aware not many not satisfied who conducted the investigation,” said Stimpson, referring to why the Attorney General’s office was asked to get involved.

Prine, police chief since 2021, was placed on paid administrative leave on April 9. Since then, he has raised multiple claims about inappropriate contracting and unethical administering within Stimpson’s administration. The Stimpson administration has countered saying that Prine is hurling false accusations of impropriety and conspiracy theories at city officials.

The origins of Prine’s messy and pending exit from city government stem from an authorization of Stimpson to have former U.S. Attorney Kenyen Brown investigate the policies and procedures as it relates to a use of force within the Mobile Police Department.

Brown’s report, released last week, pointed out some problematic behaviors during multiple encounters between Mobile police and city’s Black residents and directed some of that blame at Prine. The chief has criticized the report as an attempt to oust him from his job, calling it “nothing more than the administration’s attempt to turn the Black community on the police department.”

The Stimpson administration place Prine on leave over concerns raised about his leadership as chief that were highlighted in Brown’s approximately 100-page report. The report outlined findings from six altercations between police officers and Black residents, four of which resulted in a death. The report concludes that Prine’s behavior, since April 9, was “emblematic of his autocratic tendencies” that can be connected to creating a police culture that included unconstitutional and demeaning behavior toward Mobile’s Black community.

The Mobile Police Department’s command staff is also preparing a report, according to an email from Major Philip McCrary. He called Brown’s report full of inaccuracies, assumptions, and legal violations.

Assistant Police Chief Randy Jackson, who is the current interim police chief, said last week that he doesn’t “agree with all of the report’s findings.” He said the agency is taking a “hard look at every recommendation,” and is in the process of forming two committees to help determine a pathway forward.

“I have full confidence in the MPD command staff to maintain the morale and discipline of the department as we move forward, ensuring that we continue to be among the best agencies in the country,” Jackson said.