ROGERS -- Two cities mourned James Allen as law enforcement officers from around the state gathered to pay their final respects Tuesday.
Allen, 60, was chief of the Rogers Police Department from April 4, 2011, until his death Jan. 22. He was chief of the Bentonville Police Department for 22 years until his retirement March 31, 2011. He served with the Pulaski County sheriff's office, the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement Division and began his career as a patrolman and emergency medical technician in Jacksonville.
Advice from Allen
Friends remember James Allen, police chief in Rogers and Bentonville for a combined 26 years, for his wisdom and the often repeated phrases he used to counsel them.
• “There’s no right way to do the wrong thing.”
• “You can’t turn an aircraft carrier on a dime. Things might slide off the deck.”
• “Do the right thing at the right time in the right way. Treat everyone with dignity and respect.”
• “Hate the sin, not the sinner.”
• “Good communication is the most important thing you can do. It fixes most problems.”
• “We only have one chance to make a first impression and what you do today can form people’s opinion of law enforcement forever.”
• “We, police officers, are here to solve problems, not create them.”
• “There is no perfect investigation. When it comes to mistakes, we all make them. Just be up front and truthful about what happened otherwise you’ll make a much bigger mistake.”
• “Technology and equipment should work for you. You should not work for it.”
Source: Staff report
Allen was a graduate of Arkansas State University. He was born in Newport.
More than 100 vehicles, many of them from police agencies, escorted Allen's body to its resting place at Bentonville Cemetery. The procession drove past both Rogers and Bentonville police departments.
Supporters stood on the streets, some holding signs, and others in silent salute as the procession passed, said Bob McCaslin, Bentonville mayor. Allen was a great friend and his death is a loss, McCaslin said. However, the community support, the focus on Allen's faith and his spirit during services Tuesday left him uplifted, McCaslin said.
"He was a teacher. He taught people how to live," McCaslin said.
Allen believed in quiet professionalism, Hayes Minor, interim Rogers Police chief, told those assembled Tuesday. He didn't believe in drawing attention, even to what was done right. He always had a smile and a kind word and inspired confidence. Minor described Allen as a "rock star" of a father and great man.
Allen's priorities were God, family and the police department, Minor said.
Allen has been credited by leadership at the Rogers and Bentonville police departments for building programs in both cities.
Allen built the Bentonville Police Department, Jon Simpson, Bentonville chief, wrote via email Monday. Allen created the department's dark blue uniform in 1989 and oversaw the design of the logo used on Bentonville police cars since 1995, the same year the police station was built.
He started a police dog program and launched a SWAT team in 1999 with about five members that has grown to 13. He envisioned the bike team that patrols the downtown area, trails and teaches bike safety. The more than 100 women who have attended self-defense classes through Bentonville police and the 30 graduates of the Citizens Police Academy were able to take those classes because of Allen.
He formalized policies in the mid-1990s, started a school resource officer program in 2001 and oversaw the transfer of the bomb squad from Springdale to Bentonville in 2010, Simpson said.
During his tenure in Rogers, Allen added a Citizens Police Academy, self-defense classes and created an outreach to the Hispanic community, according to leaders there.
Allen led by example, Simpson said.
"He set the standard for professionalism at Bentonville Police Department and this standard is still with us today," Simpson said.
Allen fought cancer the past year. It was a brave fight, his friends said.
No matter his circumstances he cared about others, Minor said. When he learned he was dying he told his friends not to be sad for him.
"Do not mourn my life. Celebrate it because I lived a great one," Allen told Minor.
Allen may have known he was dying, but he taught others how to live, said Wes George, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Rogers.
"He wanted to finish well and he did. He wanted to go out with dignity and he did," George said.
Allen was a model of integrity, being consistent over time. He didn't measure success by the authority he had or the arrests he made, but by his service, George said. He preached his own funeral by the way he lived his life, George said.
Allen was eulogized using his own often repeated phrases. A couple speakers at his funeral repeated one of his favorite sayings: "Do the right thing at the right time for the right reasons and treat everyone with dignity and respect."
An honor guard from Rogers Police Department carried Allen's flag-draped casket from the church following services. Law enforcement officers from agencies across Arkansas filled the church, some from Pulaski County.
Greg Hines, Rogers mayor, described Allen as a friend and close confidant in his eulogy. There is no better way to remember Allen than to follow his example, Hines said.
"James cared more about who he was than what he was and for that he will be remembered," Hines said.
Amye Buckley can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAAmye
NW News on 01/28/2015