Andalusia Star News

In the wake of a Friday night robbery, the Andalusia Police Department is reminding local business owners that they will provide safety escorts for workers leaving their buildings in the evening hours.

“We know that they are leaving their buildings with sometimes small, sometimes large quantities of money,” Assistant Police Chief Mike Bowlan said. “If they would call us, it could prevent near-tragedies like Friday night’s robbery, from happening.”

“This is a free service we provide,” he said. “It may take an officer a few minutes to get here, and people sometimes don’t want to wait.

“But you never know when folks may be hiding in the bushes, waiting for an employee to come out,” he said. “This situation could have been a lot worse than it was. The suspects were armed with a handgun, and attempted to put (the victim) in the trunk. If she had resisted or fought, she could have been shot and it’s not worth the risk.”

Bowlan said it is “never a burden” to assist business owners.