Albany police officials offer update on Repeat Offender Initiative

ALBANY — One percent is a small portion of the city’s population, but the Albany Police Department recognizes that this small percentage of residents is responsible for a massive amount of the crime, particularly violent crimes, on the streets.

Seeking to make an impact on those violent crimes, the department in January launched its Repeat Offender Initiative.  In launching that effort, police described the goal as reaching the “1% of the population that drive gun violence that has plagued the city.”

In 2025, there were 23 homicides in Dougherty County, and the people police want to reach are those who are repeat perpetrators of violence and themselves are often the victims in shootings. The initiative looks to identify and reach those most at risk of being both victims and perpetrators in that cycle.

So far, a working group has been formed and is meeting, and a staff of two officers assigned to the initiative is keeping an eye on those who fit into the group the initiative is trying to reach.

“We’ve identified several offenders we’re trying to monitor and make sure they stay in line with their (bond) conditions,” Albany police Capt. Terrence Whitlock said. “We’re meeting with the DA’s office. We’re meeting with faith-based leaders.”

Recently, officers also have been making traffic stops in high-crime areas to identify individuals who have active arrest or probation warrants and get them off the streets, Deputy Chief Wendy Luster said.

“As a result, we are recovering weapons,” she said. “We are going to continue to do that until we see a decrease.”

Whitlock and Chief Michael Persley gave an update on the Repeat Offender Initiative to the Dougherty County Commission on Monday.

Whether a crime occurs in the city limits or unincorporated Dougherty County, the commission is involved as the budget for the jail and courts are a countywide function.  About 45% of the county’s budget goes toward criminal justice, Commissioner Gloria Gaines said. 

“And that is money that comes out of our citizens’ pockets,” she said.

The Albany program is a pilot expansion of an Atlanta initiative that was established in 2022 and has been credited with reducing violent crime, according to police. Elements of the Atlanta initiative include tracking repeat offenders and sharing information on those offenders with other law enforcement agencies.

Police will work with the district attorney’s office, judges and other officials to prevent violent defendants from re-entering the community while awaiting disposition of violence charges. Part of the initiative is to make better cases to secure convictions against violent offenders and to identify and monitor those who are at risk of committing violence or becoming victims themselves.

In addition to more closely monitoring those who are most likely to play a role in violent crime through monitoring and encouraging pre-trial detention when warranted, at-risk individuals also can receive intervention, including assistance with substance abuse, employment training, anger management and other support.

The program can be successful “when you spend money on the front end with the right resources with those who want to (change),” Persley said. “One thing that will make this successful is … we give them something to do. If we don’t give them some things to do, it will be highly unsuccessful.”

For Gaines, changing the mindset of those who are willing to do so would be a good outcome.

“If we get one or two individuals to change their path, that’s the goal,” she said. “If we can change their mindset and give them something better to do, that’s the goal. Unfortunately, we have those who are not going to change. Those are the people we want to keep in jail.”