5 minute read
Full Circle
Surprise Police Officer Glenn Allen joined the force back in 2022. It was a homecoming for him, as he grew up in Surprise as a child. He still remembers a time when Arizona State Route 303 didn’t exist and the majority of the area was farm fields. Allen attended West Point Elementary School for most of his early education, before his family moved to Peoria for his high school years. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that he would be back in Surprise all these years later as a police officer though.
“It wasn’t in the realm of what I thought I wanted to do, but I am very happy that I did do it,” he shared. “I remember growing up in Surprise and having very positive interactions with the police, when they would come to the schools along with the firefighters.”
Office Allen’s journey to the police force was an unusual one. After high school Allen spent two years at Glendale Community College playing football, before traveling to a small school in Kansas to play for his last years of eligibility. When that experience was over, Allen decided to return to his hometown of Surprise. He started out working odd jobs while trying to find a path that was right for him. He worked at a car dealership, did construction, landscaping, among others. During that time he thought he might be interested in becoming a firefighter, so he went back to school to obtain his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) degree.
During that time he also started coaching football at Verrado High School with a friend of his, who just happened to be a police officer in the City of Surprise.
“I started picking his brain asking him what it was like and if he liked it,” Allen recalls. “He told me I should just apply, and so that’s what I did.”
He was attracted to the idea of giving back to his community, as well as the benefits and growth available in the department.
“In the City of Surprise, police officers do get a lot of support from our community,” he said. “It’s a great feeling knowing that the community does have our backs here.”
Allen bought a house in Surprise with his wife, and they now have a new baby girl. As a new father supporting his family, he regularly picks up School Safety Officer (SSO) assignments through the police force. The School Safety Officer (SSO) program began in November 2023 where Dysart schools that do not have a dedicated SRO have the opportunity to have an SSO on site during school hours. Currently, Dysart Schools has 13 School Resource Officers (SROs) across the district in partnership with local law enforcement agencies, and through the support of a School Safety Grant with the State of Arizona.
SSOs are different from SROs in that they are offduty law enforcement officers that are not dedicated to a specific site, while SROs are assigned a site and are on-duty for their positions. School Safety Officers are visible at pick-up, release, lunches, recess, and anywhere where support may be needed. These officers are in close communication with school administration and full-time SRO’s if additional needs arise. Both are Arizona POST Certified Officers with specialized skills and resources to support a safe and secure environment for students and staff. Funding for SSOs was provided through a grant from the Arizona Department of Education.
Officers can sign up for the SSO assignments, and are randomly placed by the police department at various schools in the city. As luck would have it, Officer Allen was placed at West Point Elementary School, the very school he grew up attending as a young boy.
“The one time I got selected for West Point, I showed up and thought, this is crazy,” he remembers. “It’s changed but it hasn’t changed. It brings back so many memories.”
Allen recalls the lunch room, band, physical education, early morning line ups, and one of his fondest memories, field day. “I remember it all like it was yesterday,” he said with a smile.
Of course, while there his first time, the school had to pull out some old yearbooks and see if they could find Officer Allen. They found multiple photos of Allen, including his 3rd grade yearbook and class photo. “I remember Mrs. Caywood, I remember the classroom I was in,” he recalls.
The school ended up posting a photo of Officer Allen with that 3rd grade class photo on social media, and wouldn’t you know it Mrs. Caywood saw it.
“I remember him,” she exclaimed. “I remember him as being a really good role model, a well-behaved young man, and a hard worker. I was tickled to see that. As a teacher, that’s the reason you do it. It’s to make an impact in kids’ lives, and to make a difference and to be a positive role model. It does feel good to look back and see that one of them turned out to be a police officer.”
Officer Allen has been assigned to West Point four or five times now. He rotates with a variety of schools, but appreciates his time at West Point just a little more. He can be found playing basketball at recess, walking the halls to provide a safe presence, and building relationships with the students.
“It’s surreal looking at the young kids, knowing that it was once me walking through those hallways, and knowing what they are going through,” he said. “It’s full circle. Having that interaction and getting to know these kids when they’re young hopefully paints a good picture for them that we can be a role model for them or somebody that they can look up to and ultimately depend on.”
