Chief Michael Persley believes Albany Police Department can be great | VIDEO

ALBANY — After two months at the helm of the Albany Police Department, Chief Michael Persley believes that with a few tweaks and a better relationship with the community, the department can become the best police force in south Georgia.

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Persley explained those feelings while addressing the strengths and challenges of the APD during a presentation he made Monday at a meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County, held at the Hilton Garden Inn.

As a native Albanian, Persley feels he’s well equipped to lead the APD into the future and establish a legacy that sees the department work in harmony with the community as a whole.

“I am a product of this community,” said Persley. “I understand the challenges that this community has. I also understand the potential that this community has, regardless of what people may say on the news or what you may read in the media. I can tell you now that I believe Albany is the hub for southwest Georgia.

“So, I want to make the Albany Police Department be the model law enforcement agency for south Georgia. I used to say Southwest Georgia, but I’m a little bit ambitious and I think that we can be the model agency for south Georgia.”

In order for that to happen, Persley said, one of the most important things is that the department provide excellent customer service to the community.

“Whenever (someone) is encountering any kind of police officer, it’s always seen to be a conflicting type deal,” Persley said. “Well, sometimes it is. However, we can still give you good customer service. We have to give you guys good customer service. You guys deserve the best service that you can possibly get from the Albany Police Department.”

Exceptional customer service needs to also be paired with integrity, which Persley feels police officers have lost in recent years.

“When I started my law enforcement career, an officer could go to the stand, raise his or her right hand, and swear upon the oath and whatever that officer said, that’s what it was,” said Persley. “Well, over the years people have abused that to the point now that if an officer doesn’t bring in any kind of physical evidence — video, photos, audio — they kind of question what the officer said.”

It’s a mission of Persley’s to improve the overall integrity so that the community feels it can trust its law enforcement officers. While it might be difficult, Persley believes things can get better.

“You make sure that you gain the respect of the community with your integrity by always doing the right thing,” said Persley. “I will tell you this, all of my folks, they’re not perfect. Nobody’s perfect except Jesus Christ. None of my people are perfect. At the same time I hold them to a high standard where I want them to be looked upon as a positive figure in the community.

“That’s why I always tell people, ‘If you ever see one of my officers acting in a way that seems to be unprofessional, or not quite the character that I’m preaching, let me know so we can fix that problem.’”

By raising the department’s integrity and providing improved customer service, Persley said, the APD can then focus on the third part of his strategy, partnering with the community.

“I can tell you that the Albany Police Department, we can’t do it all,” said Persley. “I don’t have enough people. I don’t have enough resources to be everywhere that we should be or need to be or ought to be. But I’ll tell you when we partner with the community (we) can do some things. Also, when a community comes together, whether it’s your neighborhood, your subdivision, or whatever you live in, then you will see that (there is) a lot that you don’t have to put up with.”

Persley said that by having a well-respected police force that works with the community and that is part of the community will not only help the department become one of the best in the state, it will instill a level of trust between the citizens and the department that will help prevent tragedy from befalling Albany.

“There’s a lot that’s happening around the country,” said Persley. “Well, I’m here to tell you that Albany is not isolated from any of those incidents. We can have a Chattanooga, Tenn. here; it can happen. We can have a Sandy Hook Elementary here; it can happen. We can have a Ferguson, right here; it can happen. We have to be ready.

“If we get out and we form partnerships and we go and use the commonsense practices and procedures in law enforcement, proven techniques that work, and you don’t alienate the community, then you do gain more trust.”

Although Persley said he felt there was still more work to be done, he said he was pleased with the current direction of the police force.

“I can tell you this, we’re in a good position,” said Persley of the APD. “I push my officers that when you guys call us, that means you need help. You need help and it’s on us to make sure that we give you the help that you need. Can we be better? Yes we can. We can be more effective, we can be more efficient. That’s just changing the culture and the mindset.

“I don’t believe in just being good enough. Good is the enemy of great. For years we’ve done a good job, we have. But I want us to become better, to where people say, ‘My police department, they do a great job!’”

After sharing his vision for the future of the department, Persley also made a point to let those in attendance know that despite the need for some improvement and despite what they may have heard, Albany is a good place to live and the perception that it is a crime-ridden community isn’t true.

“In the (Albany) Herald (Monday), there was a comment made by the guy who’s running, Mr. Tracey Taylor I believe, he’s running against the mayor, and there was a comment made that it seems like Albany has turned into a Gotham,” said Persley. “That’s a perception. If anyone has read the article that was done in Harper’s magazine about (the fact that) Albany is still suffering from the recession, that’s a perception.

“A lot of times people are scared and they’re fearful about the perception of crime. I’ve heard people say, ‘You know what, I’m not coming to Albany, you guys are shooting folks over there, you’re killing people left and right.’ And I’m like, ‘No we’re not.’ That’s the biggest thing I have to fight with the community is the perception. This is not a bad place.’”