Published: October 04, 2008 09:44 pm         

David Allard

Childhood joy and pain shape Beckley detective’s life, career

Detective Sgt. David Allard receives a phone call from a jail inmate, and he accepts.

The inmate tells Allard he is confused about what will happen next with his case and when. Allard explains when the man will likely face indictment and gives him the name of the attorney who will represent him.

The man is grateful for Allard’s help — help from the man who arrested him and put him in jail.

“It’s very easy to look at crime and automatically think whoever commits it are bad people,” Allard said. “But not every one of them is a bad person. A lot of them have problems like drug and alcohol addiction or financial problems. Crime is not a normal thing for those people.”

Allard, a Beckley Police Department detective and military veteran, said memories of his childhood — both positive and extremely painful — had a strong impact on the man and the police officer he would become. The Coal City native learned the value of serving one’s country and community and hard work — and how crime and substance abuse not only hurt criminals and people with addictions.



The late Walter Shrewsbury, Allard’s grandfather, was one of the primary influences in his life. Shrewsbury was a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air Force.

“He was probably the smartest man I’ve ever known, even though he only had a fourth-grade education,” Allard said. “He had a love for family. He took pride in his community. He was a hard-working man who supported his family, and he took me in as if I were his son. He taught me everything I know.

“Hunting, fishing, you name it. He was a big influence. I wanted to be just like him. Everything I did, I did it to make him proud.”

After high school, Allard joined the Air Force. He underwent technical training in Texas and then was permanently stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Va. He worked as an F-15 crew chief, responsible for all maintenance, inspection, launching and recovering of aircraft.

Allard said the Air Force allowed its personnel to take “incenti-rides.” They would get to fly the F-15s as a reward for doing a good job, and they would possibly be convinced to re-enlist. On Sept. 19, 2000, he flew an F-15 over his home state, above Air Force air space in Green Bank.

“It’s the most amazing thing. There’s no rollercoaster ride I can compare it to,” he said. “It’s just amazing — no way to describe it. You do get to see what the F-15 pilots deal with — wearing their G-suits and having to be physically fit.”

The F-15 carried Allard at Mach 2.5 — roughly 1,200 mph. He noted he was not allowed to break the sound barrier.

However, Allard left the Air Force five days later. Having an uncle in the FBI and friends in law enforcement caused him to gravitate toward a career in that field. He had also grown weary of frequent international travel.

“I loved the military and I loved the Air Force,” he said. “It was a great thing, but I was tired of going overseas. I had been to Saudi Arabia three times.”

Allard was later hired at the Newport News (Va.) sheriff’s office and assigned to the jail. Working in that setting, he said, demanded extremely strong ability to reason with others, and developing that skill was crucial in his law enforcement career. Not only was he in an enclosed environment with inmates, but most correctional officers are also unarmed or carry only less-than-lethal weapons.

“It’s very tough,” he said. “When you’re on duty, you’re stuck with them. It’s like you’re incarcerated with them. It’s a dangerous situation because you’re with hundreds of them at a time.

“You have no weapons you can use to de-escalate the situation. You have to have the ability to be able to talk to them.”

Allard explained he simply treated the inmates as he would any other person and got to know them as people.

“Treat people the way you want to be treated, and generally, you’ll get that back,” he said. “They weren’t going to be mistreated by me. You get a reputation. You become well liked. If you treat people well, you get further in life.

“Be nice and treat people with respect. People are human beings and they sometimes make mistakes. But sometimes they’ll open up and they’ll talk to you.

“Both the inmates and I were in a situation where we’d rather be with our families, but we were both there.”



Later, Allard and his wife Stephanie, also a Raleigh County native, wanted to be closer to their families. Allard said his grandmother found out the Beckley Police Department was hiring and sent him an application. Not only was he hired, he also graduated from the West Virginia State Police Academy as valedictorian.

When on road patrol — and even after he became a detective — Allard was devoted to DUI enforcement. He explained that desire came from his darkest childhood memories. From the time Allard was 10 to 12 years old to his senior year of high school, his father had a drinking problem that led to four DUI arrests.

“I’m glad to say I’m aggressive on drunk drivers,” he said. “I know how much drunk driving hurt me and my entire family. Seventeen thousand people die every year because of impaired driving, but they’re not just drunk drivers. They’re little kids, teenagers, elderly people …

“My mom is the best mother in the world. She’s a good, Christian woman, and I saw what she endured. She’s the strongest woman. My dad had a bad drinking problem, and I saw how it affected my mom, my dad’s health and his relationships with my brother and me.”

Allard believes those experiences allow him to relate to the people he meets on the job — law-abiding and not.

“I’ll share stories with people, if the situation warrants it,” he said. “I try not to reveal too much, but sometimes, when you see a young kid traveling down the wrong path, you have to get personal — sharing your life and experiences. It allows them to relate to you.

“Doing that, trying to relate to someone, shows them you are sincere. You do care. You do want to help them.”

Allard said he is pleased to note he and his father have repaired their relationship — and his father is sober. His father often checks The Register-Herald’s Web site to see what his son is doing on the job.

“He constantly tells me how proud he is,” Allard said. “He’s never said he’s sorry, but I know he is.”



Allard credits Capt. Jeff Shumate, chief of detectives, for making him a better police officer. One of the most important lessons he said he has learned from Shumate is to never presume anything and to keep an open mind.

Just like some he arrests are not bad people, he explained there are also genuinely bad people out there — ones who no one would believe are criminals. He recalls a time when Beckley police had to deal with an 83-year-old man who was performing sex acts in public and in front of children.

“The fact that he was an elderly person, up in age, stuck with me,” Allard said. “You can’t presume the best, either. There are bad people in all walks of life, in all professions, all age groups.”

In 2006, Allard experienced one of his darkest hours when Detective Cpl. Chuck Smith, 29, was killed in the line of duty. The two had known each other since middle school.

“That’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through,” Allard said. “We went to high school together. We first met when I was in sixth grade and Chuck was in seventh. I had probably known him longer than anyone here.

“I first met him at a dance at the Coal City Fire Department. All the people in Coal City were there, and I thought I was hot stuff. That’s when Chuck and his brother Roy came in. They walked in the room and every girl paid attention — and they stole the attention away from me.

“At that point, I was so envious. He just walked into the room and became the center of attention. I never forgot it. We became friends about a year or two later. When we were in high school, he pepper-sprayed my car. He was able to make you smile and laugh — just a really special person.”



Allard admits he first joined Beckley P.D. with plans to only stay a few years and then become a FBI agent. Now, he says he has found a permanent home — in all senses of the word.

“We have a wonderful family here at the police department,” he said. “All of these guys are so great. You build a bond with your fellow officers. The detective bureau often gets the credit for arrests, but there are also the road guys — and the fire department and the ambulance services. We are all a team. These are top-notch guys, on duty and off.

“I’ve been on top of the world on so many different levels. I’ve been honored as highway safety officer of the year three times. Everyone loves a pat on the back, especially police officers.”

Becoming a father just months ago forever changed Allard’s personal life — and how he views his job. His daughter, Addison, was born June 3.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “You just can’t describe how happy that makes you. I never thought I could ever love someone so much. When I come to work, all I think about is my daughter. I want to do right by her, provide for her and make a home for her.

“You see kids who are abused. Now that I have a kid, I really wonder how anyone could do that to someone so precious. You’ll find situations where children are exposed. You’ll find they’re molested or have been physically abused, sometimes by alcoholic or drug-addicted parents. Sometimes, they’re neglected, in horrible living conditions.

“Some of these children, you wonder if they’ll ever have a chance. A lot of them won’t if things don’t change for them. And violence — we’ve seen a 16-year-old boy shot and killed. He was an innocent victim with a promising life ahead of him.

“And God forbid that if something happened to me, my wife and daughter will be taken care of.”

Another positive change in Allard’s life, he said, was becoming involved in church again. He was saved in October 2005, and he is a member of Calvary Assembly of God in Beckley.

“The Lord has blessed me,” he said. “For a while, my wife and I didn’t believe we would have children, and I believe my daughter is a gift from the Lord.

“The Calvary Assembly of God is very supportive. My sister-in-law goes there, but it’s all another extended family. They treat you like family, showering you with love.

“That’s the big thing — family.”

— E-mail: apridemore

@register-herald.com