A train trestle extending out of Decatur. An investigation into the Decatur Police Department following the shooting death of Steve Perkins in 2023 has been completed and is expected to be released this week. (Getty Images)
Nicholas Perkins is anxiously awaiting the results of a third-party investigation into the Decatur Police Department (DPD), sparked by the shooting death of his brother just over a year ago.
Steve Perkins, 39, a father of two, was shot and killed by DPD officers in September 2023. The shooting led to protests, the firings of the officers involved and an investigation, set to be released by the end of this week.
“We wanted to see why in the world this situation happened, trying to get to the root of the problem,” he said. “And I think that’s what this review will finally reveal. And so again, I’m glad it’s coming out. Everybody’s a little anxious, but we are looking forward to the results that Green Research and Technologies have uncovered.”
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The Decatur City Council in July 2024 hired Green Research and Technology, LLC, a Huntsville-based threat assessment company, to review DPD in July 2024. Decatur City Council president Jacob Ladner said the company, which had a $300,000 contract for the audit, delivered the report to Decatur’s legal department before Jan. 1 as stipulated in the contract.
Ladner said he reviewed the report on Jan. 9 along with Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling, other members of the city council and the city’s legal department. Green Research and Technology declined comment.
Several supporters of the Perkins family showed up at a work session of the council on Jan. 13. They spoke about the third-party investigation and expressed distrust of Decatur city leaders.
Aneesah Lige, a friend of the Perkins family who formed a social justice nonprofit in the wake of Steven Perkins’ death, said she had concerns surrounding the timeline of the investigation’s release.
“I feel like at some point a timeline should have been generated and put in the paper or given to the community on the expectations of this report, because you all spent $300,000, and we’ve been trying to be patient and give you all grace for the longest,” said Lige. “You all didn’t react as soon as Steve was killed. We forgave that. And so the excuses, we’re done with because with us we’ve had so many things not told to us. So the way that you fight the pushback that you think you’re going to get from the community is to be proactive.”
The legal department is waiting until Friday to release the report to make redactions, which Decatur City Attorney Herman Marks said at the meeting were customary. Marks declined to elaborate in a follow-up email.
Ladner said that the redactions are necessary in this case because they may refer to the upcoming murder trial of one of the officers involved in Perkins’ death. A grand jury indicted former DPD officer Mac Bailey Marquette for murder in connection with Perkins’ death in January 2024. His trial is scheduled for April 2025.
“Hypothetically, if we just say, here is all of it, what if that has some kind of reference to the report that would have a negative impact on the criminal trial that’s coming up?” asked Ladner. “Should we do that? I think redactions are important on a number of fronts… it’s important that we go through that process. Herman (Marks’) stance is that we want to release as much as we can to the public. That’s also my standpoint.”
Mike Stovall, a supporter of the Perkins family, said he is apprehensive about that.
“We understand that redactions have to be made, but I think we’re trying to drive home the fact that trust is broken and that we have concerns about that,” said Stovall. “Not that you guys don’t have integrity, but we’ve been shown by certain leaders in our community that integrity doesn’t exist.”
Nicholas Perkins said he has faith the report will be thorough, and said he’s been getting to know Green Research & Technology Co-Founder and CEO Tory Green over the past few months.
“I personally trust Green, the fact that he’s a former officer, and his team is a team of former officers that, to me, that speaks volumes,” he said. “If he’s willing to go in and research people of a culture that he used to be a part of. Then to me that speaks trust. I think he’s very trustworthy. I think he’s very transparent. And I’m glad that City Council President Lander actually chose him.”
Some supporters are worried about what comes after the report is released. They want to ensure that the report will lead to meaningful changes within the DPD. Decatur City Councilman Carlton McMasters said they will take action if the investigation shows a pattern of problems.
“I think it depends on certain situations of the severity,” McMasters said. “It depends if there is a massive cultural issue where people are running around completely unrestrained and just massive issues.”
Many leaders are optimistic about the release of the report.
“From a very general standpoint, I think they did a very good job with this review,” said Ladner. “It was very thorough. It was very well done. I was impressed. I thought they did a very good job. I thought they presented the information very well and I think it will be helpful.”
Nicholas Perkins hopes that the evidence is so substantial that the lawmakers will have to take action.
“My prayer is that the findings of this review are overwhelming and overwhelming enough to in as much that if there is a councilman that’s on the fence, that they will push that aside and look at the evidence and the facts and make a very sound and wise decision as to how to move forward,” he said.
More than anything, Nicholas Perkins wants to make sure his brother’s death pushes the city in a positive direction.
“I think some good decisions are going to come out of this report to move Decatur forward,” he said. “I’ve always said, and I will still say it, Steve Perkins will be the man who changed Decatur, and so that’s what I’m looking forward to, that’s what I’m holding steadfast to, that’s what I believe, and that’s what’s going to happen.”
Lige plans to host a roundtable discussion for community members to review the results following the release.
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