Jan 25, 2025 Story by: Editor
More than a year after a fatal police shooting of a Black man outside his home in Decatur, Alabama, an independent investigation has revealed significant shortcomings in the local police department. The investigation, initiated in response to the incident, uncovered improper arrests, failure to investigate civilian complaints, and inconsistent internal oversight.
The 43-page report, published Thursday, criticized the Decatur Police Department (DPD) for frequently charging citizens unnecessarily with disorderly conduct or obstruction of governmental operations. It also highlighted the department’s inadequate handling of civilian complaints, including allegations of excessive force.
“There are significant areas that require attention,” the report stated. “The commendable instances of compassionate and empathetic behavior by DPD officers are sometimes overshadowed by occurrences of unprofessionalism or lack of empathy.”
Decatur, home to about 60,000 residents and located 30 miles from Huntsville, has faced increasing scrutiny following the shooting of Steve Perkins, a 39-year-old Black man, in September 2023.
Key Findings of the Investigation
The investigation, conducted by Green Research and Technology, reviewed two years of citizen complaints, 300 hours of body-camera footage, and over 100 interviews with community members and police personnel. It found multiple instances where officers “improperly” arrested individuals for using profanity or fabricated details in their arrest reports to justify charges.
The report also noted that officers failed to activate body cameras consistently and improperly restrained incarcerated individuals, violations that were often undocumented in internal investigations. Some body-camera footage was misfiled or deleted, limiting the scope of the investigation.
To address these issues, the report recommended additional training for officers, particularly regarding free speech rights, to ensure citizens’ constitutional protections are upheld.
Police Chief Responds
Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion defended his department during a press conference on Thursday, acknowledging room for improvement but denying that the findings reflected systemic issues.
“There are situations where we could have made better decisions. I believe these are isolated incidents and not a reflection of the overall conduct of our officers or this department,” Pinion said. He expressed openness to implementing the report’s recommendations and emphasized that the cited incidents represented a small fraction of the department’s annual cases.
The Fatal Shooting of Steve Perkins
The investigation stemmed from the fatal shooting of Steve Perkins on September 29, 2023. Perkins was shot by former police officer Mac Bailey Marquette while officers accompanied a tow truck driver attempting to repossess Perkins’ truck. Video footage from a neighbor’s surveillance camera captured the shooting, but body-camera footage has not been released.
The department initially claimed that Perkins confronted officers with a gun and ignored commands to drop it. However, it later retracted that statement, admitting no such command was given. Protesters have argued that Perkins was not given time to comply.
Marquette, charged with murder, is set to stand trial in April. His defense attorneys argue that his actions were justified under Alabama’s “stand your ground” law, claiming Perkins advanced toward the tow truck driver with a gun.
Community Tensions
The report also highlighted growing tensions between police and protesters, citing instances where officers failed to engage with demonstrators professionally. Body-camera footage showed officers antagonizing and arresting protesters during volatile city council meetings and street demonstrations.
“It has been our position throughout that we do not desire to impact any civil, personnel, or criminal proceedings outside that particular forum,” said city attorney Herman Marks in an email, explaining why details of specific encounters were redacted.
Alabama Circuit Judge Charles Elliot is scheduled to hold a hearing on Marquette’s “stand your ground” defense motion on March 25.
The report serves as a call for significant reforms within the Decatur Police Department to rebuild trust with the community and address systemic issues exposed by the investigation. Source: WVTM 13
