Decatur Police Chief Releases Plan to Bridge Gap Between Residents and Police

DECATUR, Alabama (WHNT) – Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion has submitted a plan for review that would “bridge the gap” in the frayed relationship between some community members and the police department. But some community leaders say they have been left out of the process.

Pinion said he has met with several community members over the past few months to develop a plan to help the city on its road to recovery.

But community leaders express reservations because they were never included.

Rodney Gordon, president of the Morgan County NAACP, told News 19 he had no idea what to expect from community members. Decatur City activists and community leaders say they were left out of a plan announced by the police chief and want answers as to why.

“How are you going to make a plan when you don’t even know what we want?” Gordon asked. “You haven’t even talked to us or the community about it. The black community is the one most affected by this plan, but it also affects the whole city. So how can you have a plan?”

Last week, pastors and activist groups protesting and demanding police reform following the shooting death of Stephen Perkins sent a letter criticizing the police chief’s reform plan.

The letter from citizen activists to city leaders states, in part: “It has come to our attention that a local organization has become involved in recent efforts and may have falsely represented itself as a qualified intermediary on our behalf.”

The letter also mentions Murphy Brown, president of the Decatur Morgan County Minority Development Association (DMDA), and argues that all meetings between Brown, the DMDA and the police took place “without the knowledge, involvement or consent of the general public.”

The DMDA was founded in 1993 to build and maintain relationships aimed at improving the community and has 200 members, according to its website.

“We, the people who have been there from the beginning, don’t know what his plan is,” said Aneesah Lige, co-founder of Standing In Power. “It shows what we’ve been saying from the beginning; that Pinion hasn’t been transparent and hasn’t learned anything. What you did 30, 40 years ago, I understand, but we’re talking about 2024.”

Here is the full letter from the mayor to the city council:

The chief’s plan includes six points to address community concerns, including developing a comprehensive communications and information system for the city and a thorough review of the department’s policies and procedures.

The plan also calls for holding “structured meetings” so residents can advocate for “transformative” steps the department can take to improve harmony in the city. Pinion also said the department should implement a leadership development and cultural education system, as well as a health system for officers.

Pinion added in his statement:

“While this plan is still in the works, I wanted to provide some insight into the direction we want to move in. Some of these items are already underway, while others will take some time to be implemented. My goal as chief is not only to ensure everyone lives safely and without fear, but also to help bridge the gap between our community and our department.”

You can read Pinion’s full plan here.