Lt. John McAllister’s Retirement
The Ridgefield Police Department is announcing the retirement of Lt. John McAllister (Badge #132) who has served the Town of Ridgefield for the past 30 years.
Lt. McAllister grew up in Fairfield County and comes from a family of law enforcement. Prior to joining the Ridgefield Police Department he served in the Army National Guard. Lt. McAllister then attended the Connecticut Police Academy in 1986 and graduated from 194th Session. He held the rank of Patrolman and Sergeant before being promoted to Lieutenant in 2001. In addition to being a Shift Commander, Lt. McAllister was responsible for training the members of the Ridgefield Police Department as a Field Training Officer and was a state certified instructor in firearms, use of force, pursuit driving and accident investigation.
In addition to training Ridgefield officers, Lt. McAllister also taught Officers throughout Fairfield County from various agencies at re-certification annually. He also served on the Ridgefield Police Departments Accident Investigation Team from its inception.
Throughout his career, Lt. McAllister received numerous recognition's for his service which include:
-The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) award for his efforts to combat drunk driving.
-Multiple letters from Police Chiefs throughout the state for a superior driver training program that he coordinated which provided quality driver training to hundreds of officers from throughout the state.
-A letter of commendation for his rescue efforts at the scene of a fire and for providing medical assistance to a fellow officer who was overcome by smoke.
-Lt. McAllister also received numerous letters from the public praising him for how he handled difficult and dangerous situations over his many years of service to our town.
J-Mac from all of us here at the Ridgefield Police Department, we thank you for serving with Respect, Pride and Dignity. Your dedication and experience will be missed. It has been both an honor and a privilege to serve beside you. Congratulations, Good Luck and Enjoy!
In the photo from left to right- Ofc. Brian Jones (now Lt. Jones from the RFD), retired Ofc. Adrian Stroud and the then Ofc. John McAllister.