Chief reflects on path forward for the Decatur Police Department

Jan. 27—Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion on Thursday sat down with The Decatur Daily to reflect on a year of reduced crime overshadowed by tragedy and the path forward for his department.

Some Decatur residents say their trust in the department was shattered after the police killing of Steve Perkins in his front yard on Sept. 29. Three officers were fired in connection with the killing, and a fourth was suspended. Former officer Mac Marquette was indicted for murder by a Morgan County grand jury on Jan. 5.

"We've got to start doing things to try to rebuild that trust, but that's a two-way street," said Pinion from a second-floor conference room at City Hall.

Pinion said many of his officers who were not involved in Perkins' death have been on the receiving end of yelling and cursing from supporters of the Movement for Justice, a group that has held numerous demonstrations since Perkins' death.

"There's got to be some give-and-take on both sides as far as understanding, and I think communication is the biggest part of it," he said.

"I recognize that there were some failures in some of the communication that may have helped during this process, if it was done a little bit better."

Pinion said improving relations with the community will not happen overnight, and it won't be easy.

"I don't look for any glory in any of this," he said. "I don't want it. But the guys deserve better. The guys and gals that have been out there and been through a lot of this stuff deserve a lot better. They've put up with a lot of stuff."

Pinion, a regular figure at weekly City Council meetings, said he's been listening to the community. He said he has several things planned to improve community relations and make sure another killing like Perkins' never happens again.

Pinion said he has continued to meet regularly with a citizens' advisory board, although he said members' interest in the board gradually waned since its inception in the wake of the 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

"But I've continued to try to keep the board members that are dedicated, that want to be in it, around, to continuously keep them updated on things," he said. The board is scheduled to meet next week.

Pinion said community relations was a prevalent topic at a 10-week FBI National Academy training course he attended last summer. Fewer than 1% of officers from around the country were invited to the program, according to the FBI.

At the September meeting of the citizens' advisory board, just before Perkins was killed, Pinion spoke about how the department was lagging in some areas with regard to community relations.

"We had things planned for October, November and December, and then this happened, like, the next day and things kind of got derailed," he said.

Officers resumed community outreach in December by participating, along with Decatur Fire and Rescue, in the Heroes and Helpers fundraiser.

"The best thing is making sure the right people are involved to help with the (citizens' advisory) board," he said. "They've been informed this whole time about a lot of different things, and they will continue to be informed of what's going on in the department."

The police are planning a large community event in June, he said, with more details to come later.

Pinion emphasized that a lot of people forget that his officers are human.

"It's a thankless job out here," he said. "Who knows what call we just came from?

"One prime example: We had the baby found in the dumpster. Stuff like that, you know, you go from that call and then have to do something else — we may be a little abrupt, I may be a little abrupt. It's hard to kind of compartmentalize and move on to the next call.

"But when people call the police, it's typically their worst day, for the most part. They want that compassionate guy and, man, sometimes it's just not in us. And we got to work at that. We are professionals, and we got to do better. But we are human." — Staffing and morale

Pinion said some officers have left his department since Perkins was killed, although he did not specify how many. Eight officers were hired by the department prior to September.

"I'm not going to sit here and act like my head is in the sand and (pretend police officers are happy), because there are some that aren't," he said.

In the past, the department has faced shortages of up to 19 officers, according to Pinion. Currently, the department is short "in the mid-20s or so."

"We always welcome people, especially from the community, because that does do well," he said. "You got to have the service heart to do this job."

Six officers currently participating in field training are expected to be out on the streets within the next couple of months.

"I think any time any department has an incident like this, it does divide several people," Pinion said of Perkins' death and the subsequent disciplinary and criminal proceedings. "I mean it's divided, somewhat, our community at times. You're going to have some that leave (the department) for various reasons. It could be the indictment, it could be the way it happened here."

Pinion said he hopes to keep every officer that he can, especially those with five or more years of experience.

"That's the biggest thing," he said. "We want to have a whole lot more of those officers out on the road."

Overall, Pinion characterized his department's morale as "fluid." He said it's a large department with a lot of different personalities.

"You have some that are going to be upset; you have some that are ready to buckle down and uphold the oath that they swore to do," he said. — Crime is down

Property crimes, burglaries, and B&Es (breaking and entering) in 2023 were down significantly from the previous year, according to data collected by DPD and shared with The Daily. Pinion said there may be some small discrepancies in the numbers by the time the official reporting is finalized, due to ongoing investigations.

Felony assaults and homicides were also down in 2023. The data shows there were only two homicides last year: One of them was Perkins. There were 10 homicides in 2022.

Vehicle wrecks have also trended downward, according to Pinion, with vehicle-related injuries down around 33% from 2022. There were six vehicle fatalities in 2023, up from five in 2022.

"Wrecks in general are way down, about 12% from the year before," he said. "That's because we really targeted those areas where we've had wrecks in the past."

The Vice/Narcotics Unit last year seized 137 pounds of marijuana, almost 3 pounds of fentanyl-laced narcotics, 2.5 pounds of cocaine, almost a pound of meth, over 70 firearms, and executed 57 search warrants, Pinion said.

"Are we always going to have problems with drugs? Yes, because people are going to do different things. But I feel like we're trying to make a dent in that to keep people safe."

Pinion said the success of the Vice/Narcotics Unit is also reflected in the reduction of property crimes, as the two crimes are often related.

Decatur police were involved in 54 vehicle pursuits last year, according to Pinion, down from 66 in 2022. Over half of the pursuits lasted less than 2 miles. There were 10 wrecks associated with pursuits in 2023.

Sixteen-year-old Jaiden DeJarnett was involved in one such wreck. His family said he led Decatur police on a 35-mile chase in September after leaving Whataburger with his lights off at night. The chase ended in DeJarnett's death after he crossed elevated railroad tracks and crashed. — Concerns

Briona Watkins, a leader of the Movement for Justice, on Thursday traced the breakdown in trust to the inaccurate press statement initially released by DPD after Perkins' death. Pinion later apologized for the statement after it was refuted by numerous security videos from Perkins' neighbors that circulated on social media.

Watkins said, going forward, rebuilding that trust is not impossible.

"But allow us to express ourselves because this was our friend, our family member," she said. "We want to be able to express our emotions and our concerns over getting justice. Quit treating us like we don't have the right to do that."

Watkins said police have been aggressive toward demonstrators and have made unnecessary arrests. Cellphone video recordings of police interacting with protesters last year appear to support her claim. Demonstrators have been pulled off sidewalks, tackled, and arrested for cursing. One man claimed he was targeted and booked into jail in November for allegedly littering.

"I would like to see them take more responsibility for their actions and make more statements publicly," Watkins said. "Act like you care about our concerns and our wants.

"And just admit that you messed up. You say you're all human — just admit that you messed up and admit there needs to be change in the department."

Pinion wants the people of Decatur to have police protection. He said they deserve it, and it's what his officers strive to do every day.

"Look, I'm not saying they've all been perfect," he said. "Yes, we signed up for this job. But, as a society, we've got to do better in general, on both sides."

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438. @DD_DavidGambino