DECATUR, Ala. — More money was approved Thursday to continue a third-party investigation of the policies and procedures of the Decatur Police Department. The council voted 4-1 to spend another $115,000 - equivalent to about 400 man-hours - payable to Green Research & Technology, the firm employed to conduct the review.
The company said the extra time and money was needed to thoroughly conduct its review of the department.
Inside council chambers during Thursday's specially-called meeting, community members continued voicing their opinions on the matter, which stemmed from the Sept. 29, 2023 shooting death by police of Steve Perkins during a vehicle towing dispute.
The review, which was suggested by council president Jacob Ladner several months ago, comes amid constant demands from Perkins' family and civil rights organizations for more transparency and accountability of the police department.
Resident Alainah Dailey, one of the regular protestors and council meeting attendees, said, "It seems like that they deeply want to get to the bottom of this.
"The fact that they would come up and even ask for more hours shows that they are really trying to do a deep, comprehensive review of this police department that is fair and thorough and unbiased," she added.
The dissenting vote against the additional funding was Councilman Hunter Pepper, who has long vocalized his support of the Decatur police department, but who also voted to approve the original investigation contract in July.
"If this is a step towards building a strong relationship, then let's fully embrace it," he said just prior to that vote..
Reporter Gabe Glassman will have more with Hunter Pepper in a report following the conclusion of Major League Baseball coverage on FOX54.
