The Mobile Police Department isn’t outright suspending so-called “perp walks,” but is limiting the number of them through a modified approach partially aimed at improving the city’s image, the police chief said Wednesday.

“I’d not be a good chief if I didn’t take a look at how we can do things better, and this is one of things I feel like we can do better in,” Police Chief Paul Prine told AL.com.

“Each year I look at what we can do better, what works and how do we improve and certainly our image, we know, is a big deal. Branding is a big deal. Messaging is a big deal. I just feel like that is a deficiency we’re dealing with right now in Mobile.”

The department is limiting perp walks to high-profile cases only, representing a shift in practice in which Mobile police would conduct more frequent perp walks that allowed greater access for media to ask accused criminals questions as they are escorted to jail. Perp is short for perpetrator.

The walks have been held for years, and media outlets were typically notified in advance by the police department.

Prine said he felt local broadcast media “overreports the same crime day in, and day out” creating what he says is a “perception issue” that Mobile is overridden with crime.

“It’s not just a perception issue with the Mobile PD and the community at large that we live in a violent city,” Prine said. “That’s not the case. The numbers bear that out.”

Though 2023 statistics are not official, Prine said that the city saw a more than 20% drop in homicides, and reductions in almost all violent crime categories.

“That gets lost in the perception that crime is out of control,” Prine said about the statistics which follow other larger cities in Alabama and in the U.S. showing drops in violent crime from 2021.

Birmingham saw its first decrease in homicides for the first time in five years.

“We want to see if we can effect that negative perception crime is out of control,” Prine said.

He added, “The big picture is how does this affect tourism? How does the overreporting of crime affect those wanting to move to Mobile and wanting to spend their tax money or companies that want to relocate here? Things are on the change for Mobile, and we would be remised if we didn’t see the big picture that crime or perception of crimes..

Prine said the department does not have a policy on perp walks, though he said the agency has maintained a practice of conducting them throughout his entire career with the department. He said the agency plans to review the shift in policy at the end of this year to see if it has been effective.

Prine also said he was worried that frequent perp walks was generating “notoriety” for younger men and women – ages 15 to 25 – who are arrested and then appear on camera being questioned by reporters.

“If they are in a criminal element, it’s about building street cred among their own criminal group and I feel it’s important we don’t build that notoriety,” Prine said. “For law abiding citizens, it’s embarrassing to have a name or picture plastered (on TV). But we have found it’s really a badge of honor (for a criminal) to be seen arrested for the most violent offenses. That’s unfortunate.”