The deadly Decatur police shooting of Steve Perkins has many wondering what is common practice for car repossessions in the state of Alabama.
WAAY 31 spoke with Steve Andrews who repossessed cars for more than a decade. He says anyone who works in the industry should leave if somebody tries to stop a car repossession on their property. According to the law, if police show up during a repossession then that repo is over.
Steve Andrews said, “Legally in Alabama, if somebody comes out…and it may be nationwide but if somebody comes out and objects to the repossession…technically they can go back into the house and you have to leave without that vehicle.â€
In terms of the deadly Decatur police shooting of Steve Perkins, Andrews says that it puzzles him as to why the tow truck driver fled the scene when Perkins allegedly threatened him with a handgun but then returned with Decatur police.
Andrews said, “It’s a tragic situation, I don’t know anything about the shooting part, I don’t know a thing in the world about the police and the shooting part. But to me the police should have never been called. If the repo man called, he should have never done that. I don’t know what he was thinking he was gone do. Evidently, he doesn't know the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act that tells you if the police show up, the repo is over. Either he doesn't know or he doesn't care.â€
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's investigation into the deadly Decatur police shooting of Steve Perkins is ongoing. There is no update on where they are at with their investigation. The Decatur Police Department is conducting an internal investigation to see if any of their policies were violated.
