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Decatur police chief vows to remain in office, plans to win back trust of critics

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A day after several community members called for him and his command staff to resign, Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion made his position clear. He and his leaders aren't going anywhere.

"They have their opinions of things, and that's fine you know, but between myself and the command staff, that's 115 years of law enforcement," said Pinion. "And I just don't think that's good for any department."

The group Standing In Power has made its presence known since Steve Perkins' shooting death in 2023 and has increased its call for changes in the Decatur Police Department since the independent review came out last week. They say they've lost trust in Pinion and, for an example, cite his assertion that the first time he saw the review was Jan. 23 when it appears he saw it two weeks before.

"I had an opportunity to read through the unredacted report one time on that, the day that it snowed," said Pinion. "And then that morning, when I did the press conference, the first time I actually received a copy of the redacted report."

Pinion also said city council members received the report before he did, something community members dispute. They say they won't regain trust in Decatur Police. Pinion thinks they can.

"You know, try to build that trust and gain that trust back," said Pinion. "Some really good conversations with them. But you know, at the same time, there's always going to be some things we don't agree on, and that's OK."

Standing In Power has indicated it's not backing down. Pinion said he won't let that be a distraction. He points to his implementation of diversity and conflict resolution training for his whole department as evidence that change is happening.

"I think we got to do a better job of just kind of respecting each other," added Pinion. "And you know, like I said, building on what we have in common."

Chief

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