Dougherty Commission chairman addresses Albany’s surge in violence

ALBANY — A Friday-night incident in which a car carrying a toddler and her parents was struck by a bullet brought the issue of violence in Albany to the attention of Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas.

Cohilas, a former prosecutor, also criticized the Albany Police Department’s staffing of the joint Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit during a Dougherty County Commission work session Monday held in a virtual format due to the novel coronavirus.

“This particular week I had a neighbor who was driving down Slappey Boulevard with their family and their vehicle was struck by a stray bullet,” the commission chairman said. “But for the grace of God, that bullet could have killed the father or the mother or the 6-month-old child that was in the vehicle.”

According to Albany Police reports, the bullet struck a door on the driver’s side of a car as Robert Wilson was driving in the 2300 block of North Slappey Boulevard at about 10:15 p.m. Friday.

No injuries were reported.

Cohilas said he was not criticizing Albany Police Chief Michael Persley, but that at some level in the city or police organization there is a lack of focus.

“The gun violence in this community is directly related to drugs and gangs,” he said. “I want to complain (that) the Dougherty Drug Unit continues to be woefully understaffed by the city of Albany.”

Nearly all of the cases for the unit originate in the city, and the Dougherty County Police Department and the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office have provided sufficient staffing on their parts, Cohilas said.

“Ninety-nine percent of the crime that unit is supposed to prevent or arrest or prosecute happens within the city limits,” he said. “We’re going to continue to see unfettered crime and unfettered violence. This is inexcusable.”

The Herald contacted the police department for a response.

Last week three people, including a teenager, were injured by bullets in three separate shooting incidents. The number of fatal shootings already has eclipsed the 2019 total.

Albany Mayor Bo Dorough said the city is addressing staffing issues. This year the Albany City Commission approved pay increases for most officers and is expected to have 30 new officers when the current academy class completes training.

The city also is commissioning a study to look at department operations that will come with recommendations for improvement, he said. Among the recommendations he expects is one for a city vice unit that will address gangs, drugs and prostitution with its own leadership, which is not the case with the joint drug unit.

The rash of killings is “unacceptable,” he said.

“We need precincts,” Dorough said. “We need precincts in south Albany, in east Albany. We need to get back to community policing. We are making every effort to address the shortage in staffing.

“It wasn’t the police department that made that decision” to close precincts and centralize all operations at one location, but was a political one made by a previous City Commission.

Reducing violence won’t be easy and has other factors than police work, the mayor said.

“Sometimes people want simple answers to complex problems,” he said.

Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin
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