After months of investigations and what Captain Mickey Hembree of the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) simply calls “good police work,” several criminals who posed a threat to the Tech community have been apprehended and are behind bars.

The first recent success came with the apprehension of Terrance Watley (also known as "Boo Boo"), the second suspect sought in the July armed robbery in the North Avenue Apartments. Working with Crime Stoppers, the service that provides rewards for information leading to arrests, GTPD received tips that Watley was in the Decatur area. GTPD then contacted the DeKalb County Fugitive Squad, and, about 27 hours later, Watley was located outside an apartment complex in the southwest part of the county.

“This was one of the first times we’ve used Crime Stoppers, and it was very beneficial in this case,” said Hembree, who serves as commander of GTPD’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID). Five other officers work in CID, and all had a hand in this particular case. “We did a lot of good police work and a lot of video review. It was truly a team effort.”

During the investigation, GTPD also worked with the Atlanta Police Department, College Park Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“We want the criminal element to know we will exhaust all our means in investigations,” Hembree said. “We take it personally when someone goes after our students.”

In another investigation, Dennis Barry, Thaddeus Howard and Darryl McCrary were arrested for involvement in various incidents of stolen belongings from the Campus Recreation Center (CRC) and its neighboring fields. McCrary is what Lieutenant Carla Cook calls a “career criminal” and has a history of theft in workout facilities and universities. Police used video footage and undercover patrols to catch McCrary in the act and tracked purchases he made with stolen credit cards to the Target at Atlantic Station.

Despite getting a few of Georgia Tech’s most wanted off the streets, police continue to urge students not to give criminals the chance to commit crimes of opportunity. 

“If you go to the CRC, please use the lockers and lock your stuff up so these guys can’t pick it up,” Hembree said. Most instances of belongings stolen around campus have occurred when items have been left either unattended or in an unsecured locker. Those using the CRC facilities can rent a locker for the semester that comes with a combination lock or may bring their own lock for one-day locker use. Locks are also available for purchase in CRC vending machines.