A north Alabama city is getting a new police chief after the previous one resigned following a review that concluded the police improperly charged residents with crimes.

Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling announced Nadis E. Carlisle Jr., 61, as interim police chief at a press conference on Wednesday.

Carlisle, who is replacing Todd Pinion, is expected to serve at least until the formation of a new administration in November after the city holds elections in August.

Bowling has said he is not running for reelection.

The city released the police review on Jan. 23. Days later, the council voted 3-2 to remove Pinion, but it fell short of the four votes needed. Pinion announced his resignation on Friday, but would still remain with the department.

The police shooting death of Stephen Perkins, a 39-year-old Black man, on his lawn in September 2023, has led to community unrest with criticism leveled against the police’s handling of the demonstrations amidst calls for Pinion’s resignation.

The police officer who shot Perkins, Bailey Marquette, is facing murder charges. Marquette was among police officers that surrounded Perkins’ house in the early hours of Sept. 29, 2023, after following a tow truck driver back to the house for a second repossession attempt that night. The driver had reportedly told the police that Perkins had earlier chased him away with a gun.

Perkins was not aware of police presence, according to a neighbor’s security camera, when Marquette emerged from the house, shouted at Perkins to get on the ground and then immediately started firing at him. Decatur had since enacted some reforms, including prohibiting police from assisting with repossessions.

The review by Huntsville-based Green Research and Technology said police wrongly charged people with disorderly conduct, and obstruction.

“In these situations, DPD officers often used their justification of ‘giving a lawful order’ as the reason for making the (Obstruction of Government Operations) OGO charge, even when their ‘lawful order’ was questionable.”

The report noted that there were multiple arrests for disorderly conduct “when a citizen would simply use profanity.

Some police officers interviewed during the police department’s review complained of leadership problems and the report has redacted portions that the city attorney said in a statement were related to “personal interests, property rights, pending and potential actions, including personnel matters.”

Councilmember Billy Jackson said the content of the redacted portions is concerning, and questioned the police department’s leadership.

“The actions of some police officers is not one that fits within our policies and our guidelines and, but I do think that many of our — I’ll say the majority of our police officers — don’t fit into that category, but I am concerned that we have a situation in our police department where our police officers are operating outside of the scope of our guidelines and that has not been addressed by our police leadership,” Jackson told AL.com.

“I think that anytime there is a malfunction in an operation then you have to address your leadership in that operation, and I think that it is our responsibility to address the leadership operation of our Police department.”

According to the police review, leadership problems give “room for unethical standards that may even encourage a reduction in professional standards and accountability.”

Newly appointed interim police chief Carlisle was the first African American Criminal Investigative Division officer in the Decatur Police Department in 1992. He rose to the position of captain in 2007.

“It should be noted that Chief Carlisle’s promotion to the ranks of lieutenant and captain also came with the distinction of being the first African American in the history of the Decatur Police Department to hold these ranks and titles,” the mayor said at Wednesday’s press conference.

Carlisle also served as interim police chief in Decatur in 2016 before retiring that year and joining Alabama A&M University as police chief in 2017. The university fired him in 2021 but did not provide any reason, saying it does not comment on personnel matters. He was working as a school resource officer, part of the security team at an elementary school, before Bowling tapped him to lead Decatur police.

Bowling said Carlisle has spearheaded initiatives to bring the police and the community together.

“Law enforcement is more than just enforcing the law, it is about building trust, fostering relationships, and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of every individual,” Carlisle said at the press conference.

He said he is committed to transparency, accountability, and collaboration and will work with residents, community leaders, and local organizations “to create a safer and more united community.”

He wants to create a culture of excellence, integrity, and compassion in the police department and noted that regaining the community’s trust would require open dialogue, community engagement, and innovative solutions.

The police review report said that some people complained that police was not investigating their complaints against officers.

Carlisle said he would address such complaints “thoroughly, completely, honestly, and fairly.”

One member of Standing In Power, a Decatur-based activist organization calling for reforms, said the new police chief did not commit enough to reform in his speech.

“I’m disappointed in his statement because it did not mention cleaning up the department, which was a major factor of what led to Steven Perkins being killed on September 29th and all the other instances after,” Terrance Adkins, the group’s co-founder, told AL.com.

Carlisle, however, told AL.com after the press conference that the protesters should “give me a chance.”