Decatur police chief remains silent during public session

DECATUR, Ala. ( WHNT ) — Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion held the first community listening session.

The idea of the session is for the people of Decatur to address their concerns with the police department.

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In a packed room at the Turner-Searles Community Center, Decatur citizens had the chance to directly address police chief Todd Pinion since the shooting death of Stephen Perkins on September 29 last year.

The evening began with opening remarks from opinion, but the citizens heard little else from the chief.

As the session became tense Pinion chose to listen to the continued criticism of how his department has handled the shooting and the events that have occurred throughout the city since the shooting.

The community wanted a clear public explanation of a six-part executive plan that Pinion says will bridge the gap in the tense relationship with police and Perkins supporters.

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Nicholas Perkins, the brother of Stephen Perkins, told News 19 that he and his family were stunned after Pinion decided to remain quiet that they had seen enough.

"At this point we don't want to hear anything at all, we want to see something," said Perkins. "They have a slogan if you see something say something. We have seen something, and we are waiting for them to say something."

"I am stunned that you would call all of us here for silence," said Sheree Head, Perkins Family member. "I'm stunned by that, and it seems at every turn he's always underperformed and today was just another example of underperforming."

Pinion says that he elected not to respond to his citizens because the 'listening session' was not the forum to do so.

"I don't feel like tonight was to the night to have that back and forth," said Pinion. "I agree and understand some of the frustrations, but I think some people had a different concept of what they thought was going to be tonight, but this was really just for me to listen."

Catrela Perkins, the widow of Stephen Perkins, said that Pinion did address a few of her colleagues at the conclusion of the session, but she was not shocked that he used this moment to remain silent.

Pinion hopes to hold more sessions in the future.