FBI honors three Albany Police Department officers

ALBANY — Three officers from the Albany Police Department were recognized by the FBI on Wednesday for their investigative work on the September armed robbery of DOCO Credit Union in Albany.

At around 12:20 p.m. on Sept. 7, a suspect wearing a ball cap, khaki cargo pants, a green shirt, white shoes and talking on a cellphone, walked into the credit union’s 2101 Rosebrier Ave. branch and handed the teller a note demanding money. After getting an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspect left the bank without further incident.

An intensive investigation was launched, led by the FBI with the assistance of the Albany Police Department’s Robbery/Homicide Unit.

According to officials at the FBI, the investigative efforts of the APD unit led to the identification and arrest of 20-year-old David Andrews from Albany by federal agents on Sept. 24 in northern Virginia.

“The Albany Police Department provided highly skilled investigative and crime scene support, which was directly responsible for identifying several important leads,” FBI Special Agent Stephen Emmett said. “The professionalism of these three law enforcement officers was key to the identification of a suspect, David Emanuel Andrews, who was quickly arrested for bank robbery.”

Andrews was held in a northern Virginia detention facility until he could be extradited back to the Middle District of Georgia, where he was charged with bank robbery, according to reports.

“A close and effective relationship between local law enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is absolutely critical to protecting the American people from criminal and national security threats,” said Emmett. “The FBI office in Albany, Georgia, is comprised of only two special agents, responsible for investigation of federal crimes in 14 southwestern Georgia counties, which makes this partnership between the FBI and local law enforcement essential.”

A brief ceremony was held on Wednesday during which agents, authorized by the director of the FBI, recognized the efforts of the three law enforcement officers with letters of appreciation.

“FBI Special Agents recognized the joint effort with the Albany Police Department on the case,” APD spokeswoman Phyllis Banks said. “Award certificates were presented to APD Robbery Homicide Detectives Corp. Roger Jones and Corp. Nicovian Price and Crime Scene Technician Corp. Jennifer Houseman. The certificates were signed by FBI director James B. Comey and acknowledged their ‘immeasurable contributions’ to the case.

“Chief Michael Persley was honored by the recognition of the officers and the work they did on the case and presented Jones, Price and Hausman with new APD Challenge coins.”