Council honors police department’s ‘go-to guy’

Retiring Perry Det. Andrew “Drew” Dodson had a message Tuesday for younger law enforcement personnel.

“I tell all these young officers to look for a mentor, look for someone in the department that you have a lot of respect for and that you know will do the right thing each and every day,” he said.

Dodson was honored by the City Council and the Police Department before the regular council meeting for his 22-plus years in the department.

“He was a mainstay of the detective division, and he has been the ‘go-to guy’ for a long, long time,” said Stephen Lynn, chief of police.

Capt. Heath Dykes called Dodson “an outstanding detective” who was instrumental in solving major crimes in Perry. He had an extensive network of informants.

“If there was a crime, Drew would have information on who did it before we could get it assigned out,” Dykes said. “To a captain that’s running an investigative division and trying to solve cases and keep the standard of life like we want it to be in Perry, it’s huge. I’d take about 15 more of Drew if we could get them. We’re losing a good one, he’s been a good friend of mine.”

Dodson noted that during his tenure with the police department there has been just one unsolved murder: the May 30, 2000, slaying of Carlton E. Green, 44 of Unadilla, who was working as the clerk at the Best Western in Perry. According to police, Carlton was shot multiple times as he was trying to flee from a suspect. Police say guests called 911 after hearing shots fired in the hallway. A search of the surrounding area was conducted with multiple officers from different agencies involved, but no physical evidence was found.

“We didn’t solve it, but I truly believe I know the guy,” Dodson said. “I interviewed him, I put him at the Best Western in Perry. Maybe one day we will get it solved, and you guys will solve it. He’s been in and out of custody for a number of years.”

Lynn said Dodson has solved cases as far north as Forsyth and as far south as Cordele.

“He’s the guy that picks up the trail and follows it wherever it goes.”

“I did this job for 22 years, and I can truly tell you that every day, every night, I was happy to be a Perry Police officer,” Dodson said.

He cited the work of his mentor, Ray Jackson, as being critical to his success.

“Twenty-two and one-half years is nothing compared to 40 years that Ray Jackson gave to the Perry Police Department,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t know that Ray and me talk basically on a day-to-day basis, even now.”

If he needed information about the city of Perry, Jackson was the first person he called, he said.

“And if you know Ray Jackson, he’s going to let you have it, he’s going to come straightforward, he’s going to let you know if you’re doing right or wrong,” Dodson said. “A number of times he’s told me, ‘Drew, slow it down.’ I listened to him, and that’s why I’m here today.”

He closed by thanking his wife, Thelma, “for working with me in the police department on the many hours I was away from home; that was very understanding. Thank you.”

He received a standing ovation, and one by one the mayor and council members gave him their thanks.

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