DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — A Decatur City Councilman says a Decatur Police Officer posed as a Human Resources employee to ask the Fultondale Police Chief questions about incoming Decatur Police Chief Torry Mack.
Last week, the Decatur City Council voted to appoint Birmingham Police Captain Torry Mack as police chief effective June 2 during its regular meeting. Mack accepted that position a few days later.
During the council’s work session on Monday, Councilman Billy Jackson told the council of another incident involving Mack that came to his attention last week. Jackson said he spoke to Fultondale Police Chief Marcel Walker last Thursday, who said that he had been contacted by an administrative officer at the Decatur Police Department who initially said he worked in Human Resources.
“He started out by saying he was part of our HR team, that he was a part of our hiring team, which was not the case,” Jackson said. “So he was not honest when he said these things to the chief in Fultondale.”
Jackson said the officer then proceeded to ask questions about incoming Chief Mack.
“He went on and he asked for information about Captain Mack and he wanted he bad and the good,” the councilman said.
Jackson said Walker and Mack had worked together for many years and that Walker did not have anything bad to say about the soon-to-be chief. The councilman said Walker also let the officer speak to his wife, who worked with Mack at the police academy in Birmingham.
“Apparently, it wasn’t what the administrative officer was looking for,” Jackson said. “So it was a short conversation, according to Chief Walker.”
Jackson said he contacted Decatur’s HR department, which said it had also been contacted by Fultondale’s police chief the day before. The councilman asked what was going to be done about the incident and was told that the city council does not have oversight into the day-to-day operations of the city.
“I was told then that there would be a conversation with Chief [Nadis] Carlisle, Jackson said. “There was a plan to have a conversation with Chief Carlisle, that something would go into that person’s personnel file and that we would use this as a ‘coachable moment.’”
The councilman said that answer sent up several red flags for him.
“I am bothered, I am truly bothered by the fact that we would allow this to be a ‘coachable moment’ when not long ago we had a lieutenant in our fire department who was stripped of two ranks from accusations and innuendo,” he said, “and this person has deliberately misrepresented themselves and now we are going to use as a ‘coaching moment’ before we strip this person of rank.”
Jackson said he ultimately sees the situation as a “firable moment,” not a “coachable moment.”
The council promptly adjourned their work session after Jackson’s comments without any comments from other members of the city council.
Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling told News 19 that he and the city’s staff deny Jackson’s claims.
“Our staff denies making the comments Billy suggested. Billy has established his own narratives for years that our media partners have exploited, as is this report… That accusation is denied by our Officers. Specifically the Officer Billy is falsely accusing.”
Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling
The Decatur City Council will hold its next regularly scheduled meeting on May 19 at 9:30 a.m.
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