APD investigation ends with captain’s resignation

ALBANY, Ga. — Officers kept an Albany Police Department captain under investigation for possible “double-dipping,” or working at another job, while on the clock with the police and other violations for months, according to an investigation report.

After an Oct. 16 suspension with pay until further notice, APD Capt. Darrin Abner handed in his resignation on Oct. 17, stated the Office of Professional Standards report.

According to officials, during the investigation, which stretched from March until his resignation, Abner served with the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit.

“I hate to lose anyone in these circumstances; I’m disappointed in him,” Drug Unit Commander Maj. Bill Berry said. “He put in lots of years of service. It is a shame. I hate for it to have happened to him.”

The investigation launched after allegations of the double-dipping, misusing computer records and misuse of county vehicles from August 2011 to October 2012 were filed, according to the employee notification.

Berry led the investigation, the memo said, with police Maj. Russell Barnes from the Office of Professional Standards also involved.

Possibly the most serious violation, working at Albany State University while drawing pay for the same hours from APD, could not be proven, the report said.

The report cited a lack of records at the second job at ASU and the method of record-keeping at ADDU in regard to compensatory time off, saying those factors made “sustaining any possible double-dipping allegations problematic.”

The initial internal investigation summary stated that there were 35 other possible procedural violations. The violations included personal use of assigned vehicles, at times driving to Tallahassee and Atlanta.

Other reported violations included dishonesty by keeping his job at ASU secret from Berry by saying he “had to help care for his special needs son” while he taught a class.

During interviews, Abner admitted to holding the teaching job and to personal use of vehicles to drive all over Dougherty and Lee counties. He denied driving to Atlanta and out of state.

The investigation included placing GPS trackers on the vehicles that turned up where Abner drove, when he drove there and even what speed he drove. Abner admitted to two Atlanta trips and the Tallahassee drive, the report stated.

A tracker malfunctioned and time spent by investigators on other investigations “only further went to show these violations were a routine pattern and common practice for Captain Abner,” the report stated.

According to the report, Abner’s resignation was accepted by APD Chief John Proctor, who through a police spokeswoman said the allegations that started the investigations were “not sustained.”