At the heart of the Athens Police Department lies the investigative unit, and keeping that heart pumping is a team of seven who work to solve Athens’ most severe crimes.
“(The unit) is beneficial, because you can see what’s going on with patrol and they can lend any type of advice on how to handle calls, plus they see what’s going on daily,” Lt. Jeff McCall said.
Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle makes the decisions on which officers will be involved with the investigative unit.
“He’s the one that assigns people,” McCall said.
Those on the unit include its leader, McCall; two investigators; and a licensed social worker, as well as drug enforcement, D.A.R.E. and Crime Prevention officers.
The two investigators working alongside McCall work four days at the unit, and one day on street patrol.
Pyle frequently communicates with the unit, with only 20 feet separating their offices.
“I pretty much meet face-to-face with them everyday and they share information and come into my office, brief me on cases and I’ll go into their office and ask for briefings,” Pyle said. “So it’s a pretty consistent line of communication back and forth.”
For those at the department intrigued by the idea of working investigations, McCall said they need to get their education, have a drive to be in the unit and always try to seek knowledge.
“The biggest part is the drive,” McCall said. “If someone is interested in that position, they’re going to continue to have that drive, that thirst for knowledge. That is where that person eventually wants to be.”
Lt. John Withers, who has been a part of the unit since 1987 and is the unit’s former leader, said the biggest piece of advice he could give those wanting to go into the investigative field is to pursue it with all the vigor they can.
“One needs to be able to excel above what most patrol officers do at a crime scene,” Withers said. “They must go that extra step to make it easier for the detectives … (and then they’ll) let your supervisor know what a good job you have done, and then your foot is in the door.”
Acknowledging the path to working investigations is a progression; McCall said his has led him to the forefront of the unit.
“It depends on your work ethic, what you’ve shown in the past and your desire to move up,” McCall said. “That’s what I’ve always been working toward.”
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