Profiles of Ada--Assistant Police Chief Carl Allen

Ada- Deep in the middle of rural Oklahoma there is a small quiet town that is primarily known for its high school and college football teams. Of the 16,000 people that populate the city of Ada, most of them can go to bed at night knowing their safety is in good hands with the Ada Police Department. Assistant Police Chief Carl Allen has been working with the department for 24 years. His tenure at the department is a big reason why the Ada police have gained the trust and respect from the people that live there.

Allen’s childhood dream was to be a police officer. After all it was in his blood. From his father to his great grandfather he kept the family tradition going when he officially made the decision in 1985. “I always knew that I wanted to be a Policeman, but I really made the commitment when I was in college,” he said. Allen is second highest in rank at the department, ahead of the patrol officers, sergeants, and captains. He is second only to the official Chief of Police Mike Miller.

There are a few programs that the Ada police help promote. The association known as D.A.R.E., which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is strongly supported by Allen. There is a facility right outside of Ada called C.L.E.E.T. The Council Law Enforcement for Education and Training was started three years ago to help enhance the training process for young officers. The men get the best possible training with state of the art equipment and complexes.

The process of dialing 911 is a simple task. Almost as simple as finding the location where you are calling from. The system known as “Enhanced 911” is used by the Ada police department. When you call, the dispatcher immediately sees your information pop up on a screen. It includes your location and your medical history. “That system is used so that when you call you do not have to spend time giving us that information. You can just let us know what the problem is and we can get right to it,” Allen said. The Emergency Management Department is just as important as the police department itself. If there was a significant emergency in town, the E.M.D. would be creating a response plan for it. The same goes for a natural disaster. They would coordinate the alerts and let people know the proper procedures to follow.

If you were to ask anyone who has lived in Ada for more than a couple of years, they would probably tell you that the police in this town are harsh and unfair. Most of those comments would probably come from the college students. After all the police are out to get all of them or that is the notion amongst most of the students at East Central University. “When someone has a house party, the neighbors are going to complain every time. That’s when we will send a squad car out there to check it out. When that happens that’s usually when students start to complain.” When asked about the bad reputation his department gets from the students, Allen said, “There is no truth to that whatsoever. We do not keep a priority list with the college students on the top of it.”

Ada’s crime rate is being kept to a minimum, because the Ada police department keeps it that way. The officers in this town are often thought of in a negative light, but they are doing their jobs to protect and serve us. They do not get enough appreciation for the work that they do to keep this town safe.

The best dinner I ever had

The slabs of meat were flowing out of the kitchen minute by minute as if the customers were on the brink of starvation. To the servers, more than a few seconds that passed by without any food on your plate was considered blasphemy. They treated you like you were the king of their own country. Thats the feeling you get on your everyday afternoon at Texas de Brazil. It's an all you can eat Brazilian steakhouse that will make your mouth water when you walk inside. The first thing I smelled was the sizzling bacon they were preparing for the bacon wrapped chicken tenderloin. Unfortunately I was told it was not going to be done for another grueling ten minutes. So I vaulted to the salad bar to kill the time. This was no ordinary salad bar. The verities of dressings were overwhelming. It had all sorts of foods to put in your salad......this isn't finished...

Avatar overhyped? Or so I thought..

Let me guess, you have already seen the movie Avatar? And you're gonna tell me how great it was and that I need to go see it? Because I have already heard from 50 different people that it was the most amazing movie they have ever scene. I think its crazy that a movie that is computer animated became the highest grossing film of all time in North America. The movie's director, James Cameron, is the same guy who directed Titanic, which originally claimed that title as the highest grossing film ever made. I must say he has quite the resume. I remember when I first saw the previews for Avatar in the movies. I was thinking to myself, who on earth is going to see that movie? And I'm sure most people were just as skeptical as I was. I remember listening to a talk radio show and the host was talking about movies that will get us to pay to see them. This was a couple of weeks before the movie was released. All we had seen was the previews on TV. The host was blasting James Cameron for his idea. I must say, I was totally on board with what he was saying. Everything he was saying came right out of my head. He said, "The movie Avatar is not going to get my money at the theater. Movies that take place in a fantasy world just are not going to get most people's attention. Because no one can relate to those movies. Any movie that has blue people running around and takes place on a planet called "Pandora" is always going to be an afterthought." Wow. After a few weeks of release and claiming the top spot at the box office that is all I can say. Wow. How could I, and everyone else who doubted this movie be more wrong. If James Cameron were to see me face to face, I wonder what he would say. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that. After all the success it has gained and all the positive feedback I am getting from everyone else, I still have not made myself go see it. I don't wanna say it's because I still have doubts about it. But unfortunately that could be the case. I don't know why. Maybe I'm being stubborn about the fact that an animated movie has broken almost all of the box office records. I'm sure I will see the movie, albeit it may be when it comes out on DVD. All I know is when I do see it, I will keep an open mind.