Mobile council moves forward with firm to probe ex-chief’s claims, but do conflicts exist?

The Mobile City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to spend $200,000 on a Birmingham-based law firm to handle a third-party investigation into an array of concerns raised by former Police Chief Paul Prine.

But hours after the council vote, Councilman Ben Reynolds -- who along with Councilman Josh Woods was tasked with finding a law firm to handle the investigation -- told AL.com that Rob Lasky, the city’s executive director of public safety among those who butted heads with Prine, disclosed that he was familiar with representatives within the law firm handling the case.

Reynolds said he does not believe there was any prior professional relationship between Lasky and Birmingham-based Bradley, Arant, Boult, Cummings LLP that would affect the investigation, which is expected to kick off soon and last until mid-July.

“I don’t think it affects anything,” said Reynolds, who was informed by a representative in the city that Lasky disclosed that he “knows” of the investigator handling the probe.

Reynolds, who has urged there be a “independent investigation” into Prine’s claims, said he was unaware of any “substantive meeting” or relationship between the law firm or Lasky, who has a prior 20-year career with the FBI including a stint as a special agent in charge of the Mobile division.

Agreement

Bill Athanas with Bradley, Arant, Boult, Cummings LLP will oversee the 45-day probe into the concerns raised by Prine before he was fired on April 30. Those concerns include, among other things, allegations about improper contracting, the handling of a policy cyber intelligence unit, and the disintegration of the relationship between Prine and Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s staff.

Athanas, in a letter Tuesday to the council, disclosed neither he nor anyone else within the law firm has had a prior substantive interaction with Lasky.

Prine, in January, filed an emailed grievance about Lasky and alleged he undermined his authority as police chief.

The council’s hiring of Bradley, Arant, Boult, Cummings LLP comes amid heightened scrutiny over the handling of Prine’s firing last month, and the allegations that he has raised. Stimpson has since said Prine’s efforts have been motivated by politics and the 2025 city elections.

Prine’s criticism directed at Stimpson’s administration erupted in early April, shortly before the release of a controversial report conducted by former U.S. Attorney Kenyen Brown over the policies and procedures on the use of force within the police department. That report was particularly damning toward the police department and with its handling of several tragic altercations with Black residents.

Athanas, in a May 21 letter, said he has no professional relationships with anyone in the Stimpson administration including Lasky. The law firm did disclose it had prior representation with several Mobile-based boards, all of which have since ended. The most recent relationship between the firm and Mobile-based public body was with the Mobile Housing Authority in 2008, more than five years before Stimpson was elected as mayor.

Athanas, during a video interview during a council meeting earlier Tuesday, said his firm’s work is motivated at re-establishing public trust in Mobile amid the aftermath of the Brown report and a fallout that continues to animate council meetings.

“The primary motivator behind this engagement is to restore the public trust in the processes on decisions made regarding former Chief Prine and city officials in Mobile, that it be very thorough but very transparent” Athanas said.

Athanas said he was aware of the background in the very public drama involving Prine and his dispute with his former bosses. Prine was the police chief from 2021 until his firing on April 30.

“This is an unfortunate situation, and we stand ready to assist as needed,” Athanas said.

The agreement with Athanas calls for him to be paid at a rate of $575 per hour. Any partners within his firm who work on the project will be compensated at $490 per hour, and associate attorneys at $390 per hour.

The $200,000 budget is a doubling of the $100,000 original estimate that council members originally assessed for the investigation.

Reynolds, during the morning meeting, confirmed that Athanas’ firm would not be able to get its work done for under $100,000.

Woods said he felt it was a better option to increase the budget amount and authorize the contract without stalling on the commencement of the 45-day investigation. The resolution doesn’t say whether it’s to be completed within 45 working days, which means the project could be wrapped up by mid-July.

“We know things boomerang around this place,” Woods said. “Let’s get out there and do this.”

Investigations

Reynolds and other council members said there will be people who won’t be satisfied in what the city is doing. The council voted 6-1 last month to authorize the investigation on the same day it voted unanimously to fire Prine as police chief.

The firing occurred a few weeks after a very public dispute erupted between Prine and the Stimpson administration over the handling Brown’s work that, within a 100-page report released in April, illustrated a host of damaging claims of illegal behavior and aggressive and demeaning tactics by Mobile police in handling arrests with Black residents.

Prine, hired as the city’s police chief in 2021, has blasted the Brown investigation for several months claiming it was “one-sided” and a “very poor investigation.”

Related content: Six cases were reviewed, four of which resulted in fatal encounters with an officer.

Prine has generated a following on social media, and some of his supporters have shown up at council meetings chastising the council for firing the chief before completing an investigation.

“Councilman Woods and I were tasked with putting someone forward who is capable of doing the job,” Reynolds said about the discovering and hiring of Athanas to oversee the probe. “We’ve done the best we could. We got advised by the council attorney to make it as transparent as possible.”

He added, “It’s not going to satisfy everyone. There are people who won’t be satisfied by whatever the outcome is. We’re trying to do everything we can to get it to the bottom of it. Our city needs to move on.”

The investigation comes after the revelation earlier this month that the Brown probe cost taxpayers $297,791. Also asked to investigate Prine’s many claims is Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s Office.

Prine did not respond to a request for comment after Tuesday’s vote.

The council’s investigation is limited to four specifics:

• Circumstances regarding the engagement of 321z Insights by the City of Mobile, the Mobile PD, and/or Gulf Coast Technology Center (GCTC) to conduct a review of the “EchoStop” crime fighting program. Prine has raised questions about conflicts of interest over the hiring of 321z Insights.
• Issues related to the chain of command within GCTC (often referred to as the MPD cyber-intelligence unit) and allegations by Prine he was improperly prohibited from using GCTC resources.
• Circumstances surrounding alleged breakdown in relations between the city administration and Prine that started in November 2023 and led up to the discussions of his retirement or resignation in April.
• Any allegations made by Prine that written grievances filed or submitted by him were not properly addressed or investigated.