John Allen
Council to vote on Ferris public safety director, former Melvindale police chief
By ZEINAB NAJM
Sunday Times Newspapers
RIVERVIEW — The City Council is scheduled to vote to confirm the appointment of John Allen the city’s new chief of police during their June 6 meeting.
Allen is the Ferris State University Department of Public Safety director, a position he has held since March 2021. Before that, Allen served as Melvindale police chief.
Allen was employed by the Melvindale Police Department from 1997 to 2021, working his way up the ranks from patrol sergeant to police chief in October 2016.
Riverview City Manager Douglas Drysdale made the appointment of Allen to the position, but it requires a confirmation by the city council, per the city charter.
Lt. Robert Bemis has been serving as interim police chief since the end of January following the resignation of former Police Chief Ronald Beggs.
His departure came following his inability to hire a deputy chief position within the department, which may have contributed to his decision, although Beggs did not mention or elaborate on the topic in his resignation letter. Beggs was unanimously approved by the city council to become police chief in January 2021.
The city looks to move forward with Allen, who has years of education and training in addition to his professional experience.
Allen’s earned his associate’s degree in criminal justice from Schoolcraft College in 1995, followed by a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and law enforcement administration from Siena Heights University in 2014, and then a master’s degree in homeland security and emergency management in 2015.
He attended the Wayne County Regional Police Training Academy at Schoolcraft College and received a certification from Eastern Michigan University’s School of Police Staff and Command.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)