A Persistent Pioneer
Writer’s note: This is not the article we intended to write. Kentucky Law Enforcement magazine had reached out and hoped to speak with Mr. Allen himself upon learning of his 2021 citation in honor and recognition from the House of Representatives. However, upon learning of Mr. Allen’s February passing, we are grateful to his daughter, Sherry Allen-Tribble for sharing her father’s story and to his former law enforcement colleagues who willingly spoke to his lasting impression.
Exiting his life as meaningfully as he lived, Norman Allen passed away on Feb. 4, 2022, during the first week of Black History Month and after completing a lifetime of firsts that proved consequential not only to himself, but also to many others.
“He was a great person and a great mentor for a lot of officers,” said Lexington Police Department (LPD) Chief Lawrence Weathers. “He was one of the most influential leaders in LPD. He always seemed to know the right thing to do and the right time to do it. Everybody knew him, and he knew everybody. He not only knew their names, but the names of their children. He got along with everyone.”
A Spark of Promise
Long before his half century-long career began, Allen was born in Paris, Ky. on Oct. 24, 1942.
As a teen, he was recognized for prowess on the football field and garnered a scholarship to play and attend Jackson State University in Mississippi. However, injuries returned the young husband and father-to-be home to Kentucky.
Following short stints of employment as a church janitor and hospital orderly, Allen began work for the DURA Corporation. Allen was the automobile parts supplier’s first Black employee and would go on to become the company’s first African American foreman, according to his entry in the Notable Kentucky African American (NKAA) Database, which was recorded in 2021.
Joining with his cousin, Elwood, and others within the community, Allen went before the Paris City Commission to raise attention to the town’s need for diversity among the police force. In 1971, Allen and his cousin were named auxiliary officers. His daughter, Sherry Allen-Tribble, says they were assigned to traffic detail.
“He got the love for (policing) there,” she said, noting her father was intrigued by being a positive change within his community.
““(Allen) was very impressive from the start. Mature, dedicated and having a great deal of experience … He was quite the communicator. He was a constant professional. He always handled himself well. He was a cop’s cop in the sense that he knew what was right and knew what was wrong. He was an all-around good guy.””
On the Beat
Allen was officially hired in 1972, becoming the Paris Police Department’s (PPD) first Black officer and one of the first African American graduates from basic training at what is now the Department of Criminal Justice Training. Historical academy records show Allen was a member of Class 21, of which he was named class president.
However, on his first day on the beat, Allen was forced to face racially charged restrictions from his hiring agency head-on. Rules dictated what equipment he could use and whom he could arrest. Unable to complete his sworn duty under repression, Allen left. A week later, Allen returned to the department following a conversation with the chief. All but one restriction was lifted: he was never to arrest a white woman, the database says.
Paris Police Department
“Paris Police Department sends our prayers and condolences to the family after the loss of a legend in the law enforcement community. Many didn’t know, but Mr. Norman Allen was the groundbreaking first black officer hired for Paris Police Department. He continued to be a staple of the community after retirement and his small talks and quick jokes will be missed.”
— Paris Police Department’s Facebook statement regarding Allen’s passing.
That same year, Allen was presented the Kentucky Admiral Award for capturing State Trooper John Conley’s murderer.
Before leaving to go to Lexington Police Department in 1975, Allen served as a continuing education instructor for PPD. He was also the agency’s first African American to earn the rank of sergeant.
Allen remained with LPD for 25 years, including stints on the Hostage Negotiation Team and the Detective Bureau. He also spent a few years working part-time for the Blackburn Correctional Institute, where he was promoted to deputy warden in 1984.
Additionally, Allen spent 25 years as a member of the Keeneland security team. After he retired from LPD in 2000, he joined the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office as a court bailiff until retiring in 2007.
““He was a true professional within the law enforcement community. He was a mentor to the youth, and a trailblazer for everyone who followed his path. I consider him my true friend, and I’m sad to say that he is gone.””
“I count it a tremendous honor that Norman chose to continue his calling to serve with our agency,” said Fayette County Sheriff Kathy Witt. “He was a gentle giant – his presence commanded respect. His compassion put everyone in the courtroom at ease. We are better for having served with him and for me, to have called him a friend.”
To finish his career, Allen would return home to Paris and became a part-time security officer for the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, once again the first African American to be hired as an officer for the agency. He was promoted to captain before retiring in 2017.
(Photo provided)
Allen-Tribble said she hopes her father’s legacy is an example for other officers who follow his path—specifically regarding kindness, the importance of communication and a return to community policing.
“My hero. My protector,” said Allen’s daughter when asked how she would remember her father. “A man with much integrity. He wasn’t perfect, but he was perfect to me.”
In addition to the significant advancements he made for Black Kentuckians in law enforcement, Allen also coached and aided in integrating Paris’s youth basketball and baseball.
Civically engaged, Allen was also the first Black president of the Paris Jaycees (a title he held twice). He was a Mason and the president and founder of the 30/40 Club, an African American social organization. Allen-Tribble also noted that her father was awarded the state’s Triple Crown Award for remodeling a local youth center, and received four Kentucky Colonel Awards for his community work and police service.
In 2021, Allen was honored by the Kentucky House of Representatives for all his accomplishments.
(Composite from images provided)
