I arrived at the historic Mobile City Hospital building on St. Anthony Street on an April morning and reported to Sergeant George in the Financial Crimes Unit. It was my first “ride along” shadowing a specialized squad for a shift as opposed to riding with one of the precinct officers on patrol. Besides the sergeant, there were already three Financial Crimes detectives and the squad lieutenant in the office.
Spread out amid furniture castoffs from the previous five decades, half a dozen cubical style office stations for the detectives were sectioned off with random bookcases amid the acoustic-titled drop-ceiling that gave the long , rectangular room an oppressive air. The mismatched furniture pieces ranged from sturdy to skimpy, while a few metal filing cabinets appeared to be indestructible despite their age. Touches of brightness were created with things like plants, rubber duckies, and inspirational art, making each mismatched office space as unique as the inside of a patrol officer’s vehicle.
After brief introductions to the detectives, including Detectives Winter and Flowers, Sergeant George described how she goes through digital reports from all the precincts and assigns the ones relating to Financial Crimes to the different detectives. Since the unit often works with federal agencies such as the Secret Service, F.B.I., and the United States Postal Inspection Service on their cases, many of the detectives are also on specialized task forces for the different agencies. In theory, the specialized training makes for easier navigation of the different cases, but that doesn’t take into consideration time delays for things like subpoenas to be issued and responded to, or working with out-of-state agencies if the suspect pulled a scam from another state. The paper trail—physical or electronic—can take time to collect and process, as well as obtaining needed court orders or warrants. As of that day, over three million dollars had been stolen from Mobilians by fraudulent means in 2026, with close to a hundred cases a month needing investigations.
A big part of the sergeant’s job is giving educational presentations for the community. There is a large amount of educational literature about how to avoid financial crimes including internet/phone scams and elder abuse readily available to those who wish to learn how best to avoid being a victim. You will find more about that at the end of this article.
Even though each detective and the sergeant are working on individual cases, the comradery is evident. Regular check-ins are made between the sergeant and the detectives, and the detectives themselves. It’s a healthy way to air frustrations between the endless phone calls, emails, and document checks. The detectives also used coping methods like stress balls and music throughout the day.
A squad lunch break was taken at a local pizzeria, complete with carpooling rather than utilizing their individual vehicles. The group lunch was for my benefit, though I was told it does occasionally happen without guests around. The time at lunch further showed the close dynamics of the working and personal friendships between the individual detectives and the sergeant. It was easy to see they all had each other’s backs in a specialized unit that many MPD personnel would rather not serve in because of the amount of paperwork and court time involved. Needless to say, the Financial Crimes Unit detectives stay busy even though their workload looks completely different than that of a patrol officer’s.
If you would like to learn more, check with the following official sources for education about different financial crimes, how to protect yourself, and what to do if you become a victim: Federal Trade Commission for identify theft, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (iC3.) You can also request an educational presentation for community events or groups by going to the Speakers Bureau page of the Mobile Police Department’s website or calling the Financial Crimes Unit directly at 251-208-7240.
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