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Grand jury calls for removal of Prichard police chief and overhaul of department
Summary
A grand jury report recommended the Prichard City Council begin proceedings to remove Police Chief Walter Knight, abolish and rebuild the Prichard Police Department using CALEA accreditation, and contract with Mobile County for interim policing. The report is dated 07/01/2026 and to be made public.
A presenter reading a grand jury report told the Prichard City Council that the subject of its inquiry must "possess character and fitness" and "abide by the law" and then laid out a set of four formal recommendations.
The report recommended that the city "begin proceedings to remove Walter Knight as chief of police pursuant to section 11-43-160 Code of Alabama," that the Prichard Police Department be abolished and rebuilt "under the guidance of a qualified consultant using accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies as a management model," and that the city contract with Mobile County to provide law enforcement services until the municipal department is rebuilt. The presenter said the recommendations were to be made public and were signed by the grand jury foreperson, dated 07/01/2026.
The grand jury's suggestions are recommendations to the council rather than enacted actions; the transcript records the report's text but does not show any council vote or response recorded in these segments.
