Crime-fighting father and son seek to help recruit new police officers in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS — Service industry jobs are often passed down from generation to generation, and for one St. Louis family, that happens to be a career in law enforcement.

When Ronald Allen Jr. left the Army, he was looking for a new career, so he became a security guard and attended the St. Louis Police Academy.

“Growing up in the inner city, I saw a lot of violence and just wanted to make a change. One of my first baseball coaches, Lieutenant Colonel Ronnie Robinson, has since retired. He was my baseball coach and I looked up to him,” said Allen Jr.

Ronald, or “Big Allen,” worked his way up to become a SWAT sergeant with the St. Louis Police Department and has grown to love this extremely demanding profession.

“Public service is one of the best things you can do. You get to serve your city, the place you grew up. And meeting new people, helping people, that’s what I always wanted to do. I just wanted to help people,” Allen Jr. said.

Outside of work, he wanted to be a good role model for his son Ronald Allen III, also known as “Little Allen”.

“He always admired me growing up. We were always very close and having him follow in my footsteps meant the world to me,” Allen Jr. said.

Allen III said he knew from a very young age that he wanted to be just like his father.

“My dad has been my biggest role model since elementary school when he was in the Army,” said Allen III.

He said if he wasn’t a police officer, he would probably still be on the football field.

Although they are different, the reasons why they join the police are the same.

“As my father said, serve the people and be the first on the scene, do things that other people don’t really understand or can handle,” Allen III said.

Currently, according to St. Louis Police Sergeant Charles Wall, they are looking for more people to take on the call, just like the Allens did.

There are currently just over 900 men and women working for the St. Louis Police Department, but they can pay for about 300 more, which is why recruiting staff is critical.

“Your education is so important to us that we will pay you for the duration of your studies at our academy. And after successfully completing the academy, we guarantee you a job at our agency. So you are an employee from day one,” said Wall.

He hopes their story will inspire other families.

“Service is often deeply rooted in the family, be it military service or, in this case, police service. Children often follow in their parents’ footsteps,” Wall said.

Click here to learn more about joining the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.