Allen Hendrickson: Strategic Advisor for Performance Protocol

If you work in law enforcement, know someone in law enforcement, or love someone in law enforcement, then this episode is a “must listen” to.  Allen Hendrickson is an “ordinary” police officer with an “extraordinary” story.  But the thing is, there are no “ordinary” cops.  They all have someone unique and special about them, and Allen is no different.  Or, is he?

What you are probably preparing yourself to listen to is a story about how the police officer saved the day.  Well, there is a twist to this one.  This is a story about how a police officer saved himself from himself.  

Allen has been involved in some traumatic circumstances, including an officer-involved shooting.  But his story of stress and trauma starts long before that. The shooting is just one part of the story.  

Allen started in law enforcement at twenty years of age working in the jail.  Within a few years, he transitioned to road deputy and then in a short period, into narcotics, where he worked as an undercover detective.  As a young narcotics officer, he worked deep cover operations where he was away from home for weeks at a time.  He started “living” the undercover life, and the lines between work and personal became blurred.  

We have talked about how sometimes the job of policing is efficient at breaking good people.  The stress, uncertainty, and even excitement can be addicting and destructive.  There is a cost to be paid, and Allen paid this price.  But this story is not a story of personal tragedy; it is a powerful story of resilience and love.  

Allen’s problems began when he started drinking too much in his role as an undercover officer.  This led to addiction and risky behaviors, including adultery.  His personal life unraveled and he was divorced from his wife.  Ultimately, he lost his job.  But he found the strength to work on himself and ultimately overcame his demons, and remarried his wife.  

In this episode of The Coptimizer Podcast, Allen tells us about what went wrong in his life.  His decisions led to trouble, and ultimately, being accountable to himself and others led him out of the darkness and into the light.  He shares his story so others can learn from his mistakes and avoid the pitfalls that derailed his career.  Allen now dedicates much of his time to helping others through Peer Support and Coaching, and he wants to share his story so others can succeed where he struggled. 

You can watch this podcast on our YouTube channel by clicking here.