ARA

2008 Nominees

>> Read news release related to these nominees 

Sgt. Angela Allen, Prattville Police Department:

This second-shift sergeant for the Prattville Police Department’s Patrol Division has apprehended robbery suspects armed with sawed-off shotguns; located a convenience store burglar in a vacant building; tracked down a counterfeiter; and discovered 258 unsecured or open doors at businesses after hours. Her attention to detail and suggestion for a solution also led to the alteration of the month and year decals on Alabama license plates to make them more readable for law enforcement officers throughout the state. In her seven years with the department, Allen has excelled in many roles. She’s served as a self defense instructor, worked as an undercover narcotics operative, been a general crimes investigator and did a stint as a juvenile investigator.

 Nominated by: Prattville Police Chief Alfred Wadsworth

Postal Inspector John Bailey, Birmingham:
Led by this postal inspector, the North Alabama Identity Theft Task Force, a group of governmental, law enforcement and business agencies focusing on fraud and identity theft-related crimes, conducted a 10-month investigation that resulted in the August arrest of two suspects who stole checks from more than a dozen business mailboxes and then used the stolen checks to open bank accounts, resulting in losses of more than $50,000. The suspects were charged with mail theft, aggravated identity theft and bank fraud. The investigation has led to the recovery of stolen drivers licenses, Social Security cards, business licenses and $200,000 in stolen checks. Inspector Bailey also was nominated for this award in 2007.

Nominated by: Postal Inspector R. F. Dyer

Postal Inspector Scott Barber, Birmingham:
An investigation by this postal inspector led to a guilty plea of aggravated identity theft by the assistant manager of a Birmingham outlet store. The manager mailed photocopies of customer checks to a co-conspirator in Atlanta, who had the checks counterfeited and produced false ID’s to match the information on the checks. Runners then used the checks to purchase electronics and later return the merchandise for cash, resulting in more than $60,000 in financial losses. The investigation developed suspects in Alabama, Georgia and Florida and identified more than 20 identity theft victims.

Nominated by: Postal Inspector R. F. Dyer

Cpls. Jason Brosius and Mike Myrick, Montgomery Police Department:
With little evidence, these officers quickly identified suspects, obtained confessions and arrested four juveniles for capital murder in a September driveway robbery and beating that precipitated the heart attack death of a 53-year-old nurse. This random and senseless attack on the driveway of a couple’s own home rocked the Capital City. “These detectives showed the tenacity that exemplifies what it takes to be a great detective,” Montgomery Police Chief Art Baylor said in his nomination of the two Robbery-Homicide Bureau detectives. Initially, a 13-year-old girl tried to misdirect the police by giving them a false statement about seeing the suspects flee in a certain kind of car. Cpl. Brosius, the case agent, and Cpl. Myrick developed information and found witnesses that proved the girl was lying. She eventually confessed and the corporals were able to gather information that led to the arrest of the four suspects.

Nominated by: Montgomery Police Chief Art Baylor

Officers Johnny Hollingsworth and Pat Trussell, Huntsville Police Department:
These community relations officers have worked with manufacturers and retail businesses for the past two years in an attempt to reduce the counterfeiting of intellectual property in the Huntsville area. Their efforts have resulted in the creation of a task force that identified counterfeit merchandise at 17 stores, arrested 22 individuals and confiscated thousands of dollars of counterfeit merchandise. Another investigation by these officers led to an arrest as well as the confiscation of a 10,000-square-foot building used for the manufacture and sale of counterfeit clothing. They also found counterfeit sunglasses, baseball caps, college sportswear and designer clothes in the man’s truck. Counterfeit merchandise causes economic hardships for retailers who sell bona fide merchandise.

Nominated by: Huntsville Police Chief Henry J. Reyes

Alcohol Beverage Control Agent Gary Humphrey, Montgomery:

In his first year as an ABC agent, this officer, who joined the agency in 2006 after retiring with 21 years as a Montgomery police officer, was selected as the Agent of the Year. His hard work in solving ABC store theft and burglaries helps keep down costs and lets the community know that ABC stores are not easy targets. According to his superiors, his most valuable asset is his ability to inspire other agents to do the best job possible. For that reason, he was selected to be the class coordinator for the 2008 new agent class and is an instructor for store surveillance and store investigations.

Nominated by: Lt.Dennis Hill, Enforcement 10 Supervisor,
Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board

Investigator Alan McDearmond, Hartselle Police Department:

This white-collar crime investigator has been an advocate for retailers, educating the public and private business in the detection and prevention of identity theft. He speaks on the subject of identity theft and teaches Internet safety courses as well. He has been employed by the department for 10 years and has been assigned to investigations for four years.

Nominated by: Lt. Justin Barley, Criminal Investigation Division,
Hartselle Police Department

Trooper Andy Sutley,
Highway Patrol Division, Alabama Department of Public Safety:

This K-9 handler and member of the Alabama troopers’ Felony Awareness Patrol, a specialized unit that goes beyond a basic traffic stop to eradicate such felony activity as the transport of drugs and other contraband, made two major identity theft arrests in 2008. In January, Sutley pulled over a man with a California and two Georgia driver’s licenses, all counterfeit, driving an Escalade with Tennessee tags. It is believed the suspect used a Discover card in one of the three names used on the driver’s licenses to buy a set of golf clubs, two GPS systems and a depth/fish finder from a major sporting goods retailer. In April, this trooper stopped a mini-van with Pennsylvania plates. Among other highly suspicious items, Sutley found seven complete stolen credit reports and fake driver’s licenses to match information on those reports in the van. The trio in the van used the personal information from the credit reports and made $16,000 in purchases at retailers in the Auburn/Opelika area, near the home address of one of the stolen identities. In 2008, Sutley made 20 felony arrests and conducted 160 commercial vehicle safety inspections. He also has seized marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, Ecstasy tablets and a firearm from vehicles he stopped during the year.

Nominated by: Sgt. Charlton L. Martin, Highway Patrol Division,
Alabama Department of Public Safety

Deputy David Talley, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office:

This K-9 officer made a patrol stop in August that later led to two robbery and double murder suspects being taken into custody. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office received a “be on the look out” for suspects in a robbery and murder, which took place at Kelley’s Grocery on U.S. 331 just inside Crenshaw County. Deputy Talley was suspicious of a driver he questioned at a gasoline station in Ada and got detailed contact and identifying information from him, so the investigating agencies were able to pick him up for questioning and ultimately charge him and an accomplice.  This is just one of the many arrests this conscientious deputy and his K9 partner Brandy have made.

Nominated by: Lt. G.A. Beaudry, K-9 Unit, and Assistant Chief Deputy Dave Bryan,
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office

Cpl. S.A. Tolliver, Montgomery Police Department:

By using the latest technology, this crime scene investigator was able to identify a bank robber who had eluded investigators in Huntsville; Madison County; Mobile; Orange Park, Fla.; Panama City, Fla.; and Charleston, S.C. This police corporal collected the key piece of evidence at the scene of the Aug. 20th robbery of an Atlanta Highway Regions Bank in Montgomery. First she processed the robbery note using the Ninhydrin chemical process to bring several fingerprints to the surface. Then she used the recently acquired Spex Alternate Light Source to enhance the visible prints, which otherwise were unusable. The prints she brought to light led to a positive identification of the suspect, who ended up being charged in every city where he had committed an offense.

Nominated by: Lt. John Bowman, Montgomery Police Department

Cpl. Thomas Tripp, Newton Police Department

This year, thanks to this officer, two burglaries were solved quickly and property recovered, including money taken from a blind resident; 112 traffic citations were issued; and five DUI arrests were made. As the Newton Police Department’s training officer, this young father of two also helps keep other Newton officers current on their training requirements while he attends college online in an effort to get a criminal justice degree.

Nominated by: Newton Police Chief John H. Beistline

Postal Inspector Jim Tynan, Birmingham:

Two Nigerian college students await extradition from Canada thanks to the efforts of this postal inspector. Since the investigation was initiated in 2005, six suspects have been convicted on federal charges of delay or destruction of the mail, obstruction of justice, mail theft and bank fraud. The scheme included obtaining personal information to create counterfeit checks, withdrawal of funds from ATMs using credit or debit cards obtained through fraudulent means, buying large amounts of postal money orders with the proceeds from the fraudulent activities, opening accounts or having merchandise shipped to their addresses. The victims span 10 states with $138,000 lost within the Middle District of Alabama.

Nominated by: Postal Inspector R. F. Dyer