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Investigation of Mobile Police Department by Partner Kenyen Brown Draws Widespread Reaction

April 26, 2024

The release of Thompson Coburn partner Kenyen Brown’s investigation into the Mobile Police Department at the request of Mobile, Alabama, Mayor Sandy Stimpson this week has drawn wide media coverage about its findings on the department’s use of force.

The full report can be seen here and covers “a series of high-profile instances of use of force, several of which resulted in the death of citizens, others of which gained significant negative notoriety after bystander videos of the incidents were posted to social media, and subsequently reported on by the local mainstream media.”

“Exacerbating public scrutiny of these events was the fact that all six of the aforementioned incidents involved the police use of force against members of Mobile’s African-American community,” the report noted.

Concerns in the community led the city to hire Brown, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, to investigate and report on the incidents as well as the police department’s policies and culture. His 100-page report details incidents including the use of deadly force   against a 16-year-old juvenile after a SWAT pre-dawn raid, the use of deadly force against another suspect’s brother during another pre-dawn raid, the in-custody death of a man who had just been the subject of police less-than-lethal force (Taser) and who was in medical distress after his arrest, as well as several other use-of-force incidents.

“There are numerous constitutional violations including the beating of a handcuffed suspect, the going into or the attempt to [unconstitutionally] go into cell phones repeatedly, the denigration of suspects of deadly force during press conferences, and illegal and unconstitutional detentions without probable cause,” Brown said.

The report also covers police policies and makes recommendations for changes, and it is critical of the leadership of the department’s chief, who was suspended from his position amid the investigation.  

Coverage of the report’s release this week has included, to name a few: 

Brown was joined in the investigation by Thompson Coburn associate Elise Gonzalez and Dr. Tyrone Power of Powers Consulting Group.

Brown is a highly experienced investigator and former federal prosecutor who focuses his practice on white-collar criminal litigation and compliance counseling, including matters involving internal and government investigations. As the first African-American U.S. Attorney for Southern Alabama, Kenyen successfully prosecuted a diverse range of civil and criminal cases. His work today includes reviews of municipal police policy and culture as well as corporate investigations of fraud, waste and abuse, in addition to white-collar defense.