PRICHARD, Ala. — Prichard Mayor Carletta Davis has placed the remaining officers of the Prichard Police Department on 30 days of administrative leave, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision.
The move comes as the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office continues its temporary takeover of law-enforcement services in the city, an arrangement that has kept deputies patrolling Prichard’s streets while the department works to rebuild its ranks.
A Deadline That Keeps Moving
Sheriff Paul Burch had planned to end that arrangement on Monday, Aug. 25, but pushed the deadline back to Sept. 4 after Davis publicly said she was working on a plan to help relieve some of the financial burden the Sheriff’s Office has been absorbing while it staffs the city.
Burch said Tuesday that he had not been aware of the mayor’s decision to place the remaining Prichard officers on administrative leave. The sheriff, who has been blunt about the costs his office is carrying during the takeover, declined to comment further on the situation or on how the move might affect his decision to terminate services in 10 days.
A Department Under Strain
The city has been under mounting pressure to establish a long-term law-enforcement plan following the arrests and departures of several Prichard police officers and command staff in recent months. The losses have left the department unable to provide round-the-clock coverage on its own, prompting the county-level intervention.
Administrative leave is a common tool used by municipal governments when an agency is undergoing a review of its operations or personnel. Officers on leave typically remain employees of the city while leadership evaluates next steps, though the practical effect for residents is the same: coverage continues to fall to the Sheriff’s Office for the foreseeable future.
What Comes Next
The Sept. 4 deadline now looms as the key date in the standoff. If the Sheriff’s Office withdraws as planned and no replacement arrangement is in place, the city could face a gap in police coverage that officials on both sides have said they are trying to avoid.
Davis has indicated she is working on a financial plan aimed at making a continued county partnership sustainable, but details of that proposal have not yet been made public. City officials have not said whether the officers on leave will be returned to duty, reassigned or separated as part of any long-term restructuring.
Residents and city leaders alike are watching the calendar. With the takeover set to expire in a matter of days and the police department’s roster effectively sidelined, the next two weeks are expected to determine whether Prichard and Mobile County can reach a durable agreement — or whether the city will be left to chart a new course for public safety on its own.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.