DECATUR, Ala. — Hunter Pepper, the Decatur city councilman who has found himself a controversial figure in the fallout of the Steve Perkins shooting, announced on Friday that he supports a proposed third-party review of the Decatur Police Department. However, he stressed that his support of the officers hasn't wavered, and he does not believe the review is strictly necessary.
Several weeks ago, fellow councilman Jacob Ladner officially proposed a review of the police department's operational policies and culture. "A comprehensive review," Ladner said of the proposal.
At Friday's news conference, Pepper went on record as being for the review. "While I personally believe in the capabilities of our department's officers and think such a review is not necessary, I understand that it may help restore trust in the community," he said.
"If this is a step towards building a strong relationship, then let's fully embrace it," he added.
Police leadership has been one of the primary concerns by those angered by the shooting of Steve Perkins on Sept. 29, 2023, by Decatur officer Mac Marquette. There have been calls for the removal of Chief Todd Pinion from his role. While still under a gag order by a Morgan County judge and unable to discuss specific aspects of the murder trial, Hunter said the chief still has his full support.
"Chief Pinion has and has done an outstanding job," Pepper said. "While I believe that his communication could be improved, I cannot say that he has done a poor job overall. I have faith in his ability to lead our city through this tragedy."
Pepper was also asked to do some self-reflection for his words and actions during the past eight months, particularly for making comments on social media criticism about the Perkins response. Those posts led to Pepper being reprimanded by the judge handling the Marquette trial.
"Could I have handled myself better on social media?" he said. "Absolutely. Do we all regret things that we do? Absolutely. In general, I say that I feel like I've done an okay job handling situations on my side. I have a different opinion than a lot of people do. That's okay. That's what makes our country so great. You're able to have a different opinion. "
Pepper says that everyone from residents to Mayor Tab Bowling and the entire city council have "been under an immense amount of stress," and that permitting a full independent review of the police department may be a step for the community to, at long last, heal.