Trooper First Class Andrew Allen is a man of many hats — from working as a roofer, to saving lives as a firefighter, to nurturing souls as a minister. Closing in on 50 years old, he never thought he’d get to wear the gray campaign hat of his dream job as a South Carolina state trooper.  

Allen’s diverse career first began at age 14 as a junior firefighter, which he pursued into adulthood. In college, he met his now-wife, and joined her father’s roofing company in 1992. Six years later, he received his call to ministry, pastoring at three churches over the years. He eventually stepped back from the ministry to spend more time with his family and returned to his roots as a firefighter, where his longing to be a South Carolina state trooper began to bloom.

“When I was on scenes as a firefighter, you could see a difference between different law enforcement agencies on scene.” He said, “The way troopers carried themselves and the way they interacted with people spoke volumes to me.”

Although joining the South Carolina Highway Patrol had always been a thought in the back of his mind, Allen almost didn’t pursue his passion. After graduating from The Citadel in 1995, Allen married his now-wife. Four years later, they welcomed their first child, a son, into the world. Soon after, they had two more children. For Allen, his family always came first, even if it meant setting his passion aside for a while.

“I was considering the Highway Patrol, but all my children were young,” he said. “I knew basic patrol school was going to take, at a minimum, six months. My wife worked full-time, and we were young with three small children. That was going to be way too much for her to navigate.”

Once his children grew up, Allen felt it was too late to join the Highway Patrol. After all, he was approaching 50, while many cadets are in their 20s and 30s.

“The biggest thought in my mind at 48 was, ‘What if I get injured and have to go on light duty? Or even worse, get hurt to the point that I can’t perform anymore?’” Allen said. “That was always in the back of my mind.”

That was until he met Lieutenant Joe Hovis working security at their church. Hovis, who was in his early 50s when he joined the Highway Patrol after retiring from his 30+ year career, was someone who understood Allen’s concerns.

“He carried himself really well and was always level-headed,” Hovis said. “When you talked to him, he always said the right things. He had all the qualities of a good trooper.”

Allen shared his concerns with Hovis about being too old for patrol school. At the time, Hovis couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s so funny about that?”’ Hovis recalled Allen saying. “I said, “Well, I went through trooper school when I was 54. You’ve got plenty of years left.”

As long as applicants can perform the physical duties required, anyone over the age of 21 can become a trooper. With Allen’s background in firefighting, Hovis knew that Allen “would do just fine.”  Allen did even better than ‘just fine’ in patrol school, earning the Major Israel Brooks, Jr. Physical Fitness Award, an award given to the trooper trainee who excelled the most in physical training.

“If you put a challenge in front of me, I’m not just going to complete it, but excel at it,” Allen said. “That’s the way I treated patrol school.”

Today, Allen finds satisfaction in saving lives by enforcing the state’s traffic laws. Pulling over and arresting DUI offenders, in particular, allows him to prevent accidents from happening, rather than responding to the devastating aftermath.

He recalled a particularly disturbing collision in which a drunk driver crossed into the oncoming lanes of traffic and hit another car head-on. The crash killed the mother who was driving the second car, and seriously injured her grandmother and young daughter.

“The girl kept asking if her mother was OK, and I couldn’t tell her,” Allen recalled. “I was in the back of the car, holding her hand, and watched her vital signs go down. After the paramedics took over, I got out of the car. The drunk driver was still on the scene, laughing. I felt so angry at the time. There was nothing I could do except walk away.”  

Preventing deaths like that is what motivates Allen each day. Despite witnessing the worst of humanity, he still tries to see the best in it. In each interaction, he harks back to his pastoral teachings and the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

“I remember that I’m human and they’re human,” he said. “I want to be a positive influence on their life. Even in the most negative experience they’ve ever had, I want them to know it’s not the end of their life.”

Working in a field like law enforcement requires a solid support system at home, Allen said. He is an advocate for the importance of mental health, both in and out of work.

“I have learned that if you don’t talk about it and you hold it all in, you can do yourself a great disservice,” he said. “Being able to talk about the things I saw as a firefighter was just what I did. I would call my wife and tell her things. That has not changed as I have gone into law enforcement. At the same time, you have to balance what you say because if your family is not prepared to hear it, it can create an anxiety or trauma in them.”

With the support of his family, Allen handled his career change with ease. From patrol school at 48 to DUI enforcement today, Allen feels he’s right where he needs to be — and he wants to remind others that it’s never too late to find your passion.

“Go for it,” he said. “It could be the most satisfying and rewarding thing you’ve ever done. Whether you’re 30, 40, or 50 years old, just go for it.”

If you’re ready to pursue your passion, learn more about a career with the South Carolina Highway Patrol here: https://scdps.sc.gov/careers/sctrooper