Allen Police: Behind the Badge

Assistant Chief Taliaferro: Service, Family, And The Future Of Policing

• Allen Police Department • Season 1 • Episode 11

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A career can start with a single spark—the sight of a patrol car in the driveway—and grow into a life of service, sacrifice, and steady leadership. We invited Assistant Chief Taliaferro to share how 21 years on the job shaped his values, his approach to people, and the way our department is evolving for the future.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Welcome back to another episode of Allen Police Behind the Badge. We're your host, Officer Sam Ripamani and Alexus Birmingham.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

And today our guest is Assistant Chief Taliaferro.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Thank you for having me.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

Yes, thank you for joining us.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Thanks for coming on.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

You're a hard guy to get a hold of sometimes. You're so busy.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah, the uh definitely the schedule stays pretty full. But uh, you know, I appreciate your patience. And uh, you know, I think with the way our direction or the direction our department's going and uh the energy we have, it's it's a good thing that we're busy.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

Yeah, of course.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Absolutely. So uh Chief Taliaferro has been giving us a little grief here lately about why he hasn't been on the podcast yet.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah, my feelings have been hurt, you know.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

He's like so-and-so is going for me, such and like and uh but the deal was we wanted to get good at this or better.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

We wanted to work out the king so that we had the best podcast.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah, well, thank you.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

So, how long have you been with Alan?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

So I've been with Alan for 21 years. So uh last July was 21 years for me. Uh I was blessed they uh they hired me out of college. Um, you know, I was uh I'd graduated and I was working at as a uh a rehab tech at an inpatient rehab hospital, and it wasn't what I wanted to do, and I wasn't really making a living for my family. And you know, my my father-in-law was a state trooper. Uh funny story is my father-in-law knows your father-in-law, Buddy Powell. They worked together for many years there in Collins County.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Side note, your father-in-law wrote me a ticket one time.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

From what I've heard, he wrote lots of people tickets. Yeah. Uh so after, you know, seeing him, you know, that uh state trooper car parked out in front of the house and seeing him in uniform, I was like, you know what, this is something I think I want to do. And uh I applied with Alan, uh DPS in Garland, and uh Alan just processed me the quickest, and uh, you know, it it was a blessing. So this was the place I was supposed to be.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

That's awesome. Yeah, so that's just kind of the same for me is I was in construction and my father-in-law, you know, being the trooper and seeing that car, and that kind of drew my interest towards law enforcement as well. And in 07 when the market kind of crashed and people weren't buying houses anymore.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

I was like, I gotta find a I gotta one kid and you know, I when I was in college, I was trying to uh my goal was to be a high school football coach and and teacher, and I always felt the desire to want to help people. And you know, at first I thought my calling was to help, you know, young teenagers and kids in school help, you know, develop them to be good people, and then things change, you know, and uh directions change, and uh, you know, like I said, uh I think God had a plan for me and it's it's worked out like it's supposed to.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Yeah, absolutely.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

Have you had any like interesting experiences or stories that you can share with us?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah, I mean, I've been blessed. Uh I've had you know 21 years worth of stories. Uh I I've seen people at their best and at their worst. Um I I think some of the the hardest things that we as police officers ever have to do, um, for me personally, was uh, you know, unfortunately having to make death notifications. I've had to tell way too many people that a child or a loved one passed away in a car crash or some unfortunate incident. And um, you know, to be there for that, it's it's very difficult. But you know, it's something that we have to be there, we have to be strong. Um, so it it's it's you know one of those traumatic incidences that we experience in our profession. Um, but you know, also seeing the good. I was an SRO for two years. Um, I I got to interact with a lot of uh children. I I remember Red Ribbon Week, uh, you know, sponsored by the DEA. It's a drug awareness week. Uh going to the elementary schools and and planning events and programs and just seeing those kids so excited to see us and you know truly be fans of us. That was one of the, you know, the some of the best and most uplifting things that I've done in my career.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

So you've you've gone to the FBI also, right, for some training.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

I did. Uh last year, uh January of 2024, I went to the uh FBI National Academy, which is a 10-week uh law enforcement training session at Quantico, Virginia. So you go to the FBI training center, you live in a dorm. Um my roommate was from uh the big island, who's from Hawaii. Wow. Um actually he's a cattle rancher on the island, which was kind of cool. Well, that's interesting. You know, 10 weeks with a stranger, uh, you know, it's like a college dorm. It's a you know 15 by 20 room, had to share a bathroom with three other people. Um but uh it was one of those life-changing experiences. I I've met some amazing friends that I still keep in contact with. Um I there were 200 people in our in our in our session. So, you know, I have 200 colleagues that if I ever have a question to bounce ideas off or need some guidance, you know, I've got this huge network of people that um we went through a lot of challenging aspects with that that I've I've bonded with, you know, and a big part of the FBI Academy is physical fitness. So um the culmination, every week you do a fitness challenge, and at the end of the program you uh you do the six and a half mile run. So you do the obstacle course on Marine Base Quantico, which is about two and a half miles through the woods, and then you I don't know, we ran up this hill that seemed like it was forever, and then you know, about three miles on the road to get back to the the FBI headquarters. So um just another reason, you know, you you you embrace those difficult situations and you you build bonds, and you know, it was uh it was March when we were doing that, and it was about, I don't know, 38 degrees and windy. So it wasn't the best conditions, but uh it's not Texas weather, it's not, not at all. Um one of our first uh weekly challenges, they're about four inches of snow. So I've never really run in the snow. Um, and I'm glad I don't have to do it again. So I I like our summers, you know. Yeah, so absolutely that's get acclimated. You do, but uh, you know, while I was up there, you get an opportunity to, you know, on weekends to go experience the history of our country. Being in Virginia, there's there's so much. I mean, that's where our country started up there in the Northeast. So going to see historical sites, being close to Washington, DC, you get to see a lot and uh just learn more about yourself. And I think one of the most beneficial parts of that program was the opportunity to to self-reflect. Um, I really got to look back at myself and see, you know, what I did good in my career and some things that I really failed. Um, we had to take this, I took this leadership class, and one of the assignments was um we had a crucible assignment, and this crucible assignment was to reflect back on one of the worst situations in your life and see how you handled it. And um, and uh, you know, that just it really helped me grow as an individual. Um, really made me value my family. Um, I think it in law enforcement, our families are so underrated. Um, our spouses, our children, um, they go through so much and provide so much support for us to do this job. Um, without them, you know, we couldn't do it. And uh my wife Kendra has been, you know, my rock for you know, we've been married 23 years. And uh without her, you know, I wouldn't be here today.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

Well, and it's a sacrifice too for you to go 10 weeks and be that far away from home.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Um, you know, uh that was the hardest part. Um, I I'm really close with my family, you know, like I've been married for 23 years. I've got two kids in college. Um, my my son Jackson and my daughter Mabry are 20 and 19, and um away from work, you know, that's all I wanted to do was be part of my family. That family time was so valuable for me. It gave me an opportunity to kind of disconnect, recharge my batteries. Um, you know, and then reflecting on those things. One of the hardest parts of our jobs is that we can disconnect. And I looked back and there were a lot of times that I disconnected and and it wasn't fair to my family, but you know, they stuck with me. Um, they supported me, and without, like I said, without them, you know, I couldn't be where I was.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

You mentioned your kids. So are they both in college now?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

They do. So both of them are in college. Um, so my son uh he plays college football at Benedictine College, which is a small Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas. Nice. And uh they came down to Texas to recruit them. Um and you know, our faith is very strong, uh, very powerful to us. We're a Catholic family, so uh we went up there and visited the campus, and it just it felt like it was the perfect fit. And it's it's kind of funny. My daughter, when she was a junior talking about college, she was telling us, I want to go to the biggest school as far away from you know mom and dad as I can go. You know, she was like, I want to go to Tennessee, Auburn, this, you know, she's naming these huge, huge campus schools, and uh she didn't even tell us, but she applied to Benedictin and um applied for a presidential scholarship. Um, and she got accepted. She didn't get the presidential scholarship, which is a full ride, uh, but she got a uh a partial. She, I mean, half her tuition is covered by her academics. So wow, that's unbut you know, unbeknownst to us. She was like, I'm gonna follow my brother. So they're both up there, which as a dad is amazing because I know my daughter's safe. Because if you know, uh if she ever needs anything, you know, my son, he's about 6'3. Uh probably now he's close to 300 pounds. He places in her that big. Yes. Um, but you know, him and six of his closest buddies will be there for my daughter whenever she needs them. So uh that's that's a good film. It is, it's it's relief. It's I've got some relief.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

That's awesome.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

So funny story about his son. I run our tobacco grant for the city. So his son, you know, I think he needed some service hours or something. So he came in to he was a senior in high school and he came in to do tobacco stings with me. And every store we went to was this we've since done education with these stores, but they kept selling to this kid because he looked like he was 30 years old. You know, this big old boy walks in and I was like, Okay, we're done for the day.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Jackson was telling me because uh Officer Graves would go in with him kind of and as an undercover, and he's at the register about to buy from one of the gas stations, and and Officer Graves goes, Hey, you don't want to sell him that and shows him his badge. He goes, He's not, he's not 21. Yeah, we we started so it was just so I mean Jackson he uh he loved that. He thought that was the coolest thing ever.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Yeah, but it was good for us too because we got we started doing education with all of our stores, and since then uh we still do these things, and you know, we rarely get sales now, so that's good. So the training's paying off, but kind of opened our eyes to it, and like, oh my goodness, there's like this kid's going in, but to the clerks, he looked like he was 30 years old. So but I was like, oh my goodness, we were gonna do like 15 or 20 stops that night, and I think we got through like first seven or eight, or maybe ten. And I was like, okay, we're done. Shut you down. I was like, I can't write any more tickets tonight.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah, he needed those hours for his National Honor Society, and you know, like any high school kid, it's like, oh, these are due in a couple weeks. So he's procrastinating, so I called Sammy, and Sammy did me a favor. No, they had a sting coming up.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

So I never used him again though. Your kid is awesome, yeah. Super, I mean, polite, respectful, all the boxes checked, but yeah, I'm not using him for tobacco stings anymore.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

Yeah. The last time I saw Mabry, uh, she came and adopted a dog.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yes, yeah. Um the shelter, you know, they started that program where they're I guess they call it doggy field trips, right? Where they're another department will bring a dog into their uh into the building in their department to show off what some of the animals we have available for adoption. And uh Officer Strickland, who was on the podcast before me. No, just kidding. Uh she was before you. She uh she had uh at the time her name was Megan Barkle. Yep, brought her in and I snapped a picture and sent it to Mabry my daughter and Kendra, and I got a text and was like, Oh, you have to get it. And uh I was like, ah, you know, it's a cute dog. And then uh Mabry, this was about a week before she went back to college. So she calls me and says, Dad, is the dog still at the police station? And I was like, Yes. She goes, Well, her and her friend, we're coming up there. So I called uh Officer Strickland and said, Hey, are you still at the the PD at the headquarters at the police station? And she said, Yes. Well, my daughter's coming. So Mabry comes and and then she sees the dog and she's she's like, You have to get it. You have to mom wants this dog. So um I called down to the animal shelter and asked uh Tammy. It's like okay, we're gonna adopt it. And she said, Okay, and so uh Maybrie took her home and we surprised uh my wife Kendra that night with uh with a new dog, and uh so and her name has changed now. Yeah, we changed her name. Her name is my wife is a fanatic. I mean, one of our rituals, and this is probably one of those uh funny facts, is like we love watching Golden Girls. It's kind of our we de-stress, you know, at night it's like turn it on, turn it on. Yeah, uh Sophia's the original savage, you know. But uh, so uh we're huge Golden Girl fans, so we named her Betty White because Betty White was uh you know an adamant animal lover, and she's like, this is the perfect name. So my goodness.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

So fun story about that about Betty White. Oh, we were in our office, and uh Alexis goes, Oh my goodness, look at this dog at the shelter. Well, a sheepadoodle is is I've always wanted one. That's been like my my dog, and I was like, Oh my goodness. So I sent it to my wife, she's like, Yeah, yeah, no. Bring that dog home, come pack a bag too, because we have three dogs already. So that next day we're like, if it's still there, we're going to we're going to bring it to the station. So we we did, and we had Laney. Laney was actually kind of shadowing us for that week. And so we had staff meeting, and Laney brought it to staff, and yeah.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

And well, yeah, and during our meeting, uh Laney, she took it around to like dispatch and all around uh our department.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

And uh there were three or four people who if I hadn't called as soon as I did, we're gonna adopt her. I mean, Deanne, uh the chief's admin, she was like, if you didn't do it, I was gonna, you know, she was going home to lunch to really thinking about it.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Yeah, she was the she's the sweetest.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

No one wanted to let her go back to that shelter. They were they loved her.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

And then you know, we've had dogs our entire lives. We have a uh a golden doodle, his name's uh Sully. Uh my mother-in-law, it was her dog at first, and then she uh her job kind of changed and had to travel a lot. So um my wife and daughter finagled uh us uh purchasing Sully and adopting him. And so uh, but uh he's a golden doodle, and uh we found out a couple, well, gosh, a couple years after we got him, or about a year after we got him that he was deaf. Yeah. And uh, but you know, my daughter, she's kind of the dog whisperer, so uh she Sully knows sign language, so he knows sit and down and knows walk, and uh he just he he's loving life, so he's just uh a big, a big goofy guy.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

How do him and Betty White get along?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Oh, actually really good. So it was kind of funny at first. He was kind of apprehensive and real careful, but now you know they'll play and you'd I'll look over and he's got her neck in his mouth, and they're they're fine.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

Yeah, so best buds.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

They are their best buds, so it's it's good.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

That's a lot of fun. So do you get to go to any of your make it to any of the football games for your son?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah, so actually uh two weekends ago we went up for family weekend. Uh so he's not he's not playing a lot just yet. He's getting some some mop-up time. Um he's really part of uh Benedictin right now. They're ranked third in the nation. They're one of the powerhouses in uh in AIA football. Uh last year they made it to the the national semifinals. So that's really cool. Yeah, no, it's it's a it's a strong program. Um, but we got to go up a couple weeks ago for Family Weekend, got to see him, um, got to see Mabry. Um, but uh hopefully when he starts playing, we'll figure out some some travel arrangements and get up there as much as we can. But uh, you know, it was he played high school football down here in Texas, and um, you know, some of the best memories I have, you know, funny you're talking about work memories, but personal memories. Whatever my kids were doing, if they played in the band, my daughter played volleyball, Jackson played football and baseball, it didn't matter what they were doing, but seeing them on stage and performing or out on the field and performing, those are the best memories that I have. And you know, I was so blessed that my schedule worked out that I didn't have to miss many of their activities. Um, because those, like I said, those are the memories you cherish. And you know, his senior year, it was kind of bittersweet because it's his senior year, and you'll you experience this with your son, you know, it's exciting, but then you know it's it's one less, it's one less. Um, so um got through that, and then now you know the the potential for him to play in college gives us, you know, we're excited to go see him play one more time. So it's it'll be good.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

That's fun. Yeah, it was tough with you know going through that senior year, but then I was reminded the next year my youngest started seventh grade. Exactly. I didn't even get a year ago. That's right. The early morning workouts never ended. So right back to football that that following year. And and it's my my son's a line, my youngest is a lineman like your boy, and it's it's totally different watching a kid that's on the line versus a skill position, you know. And my son, my oldest is a receiver. He you know, we're up in Gunnar where you don't throw the ball every play, so you never knew he was he wasn't involved in every play. But now that my son's a left tackle, he's every play he's involved in it somehow.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Jackson plays center, so like every play on offense, I was stressed because it's like his hand's on the ball, and if it's a bad snap, the whole play is ruined. So it's like I feel for those parents that are you know their kids are pitchers, and you know, oh yeah, and uh there's a lot of pressure. So um, but uh it those those were great times. And uh, you know, we sat through uh pouring rain, freezing cold temperatures, driving out to Longview. We had a weird district. I mean, we would drive out to Longview, Tyler. One of our playoff games was in uh Port Arthur. I mean, that was an eight-hour drive, so we were all over the state.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Did y'all play College Station?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

We did his junior year. We played College Station as a playoffs. We used to have these talks on Monday morning. It's like, where'd you go this weekend?

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

How was our how our teams are doing? Yes. That was a lot of good memories there.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

Yeah. So shifting gears a little, um, can you tell me like a little bit about the process or how you were told that you were gonna become the new assistant chief?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah, actually. So uh when I went to the FBI Academy in in January, we were transitioning. Uh Chief Harvey was retiring and uh Chief Dye was coming in. So um I had I had met Chief Dye one time before I left. We met for lunch, uh all of the command staff um before I guess it was in December, and then you know, I left to Virginia to go and uh towards the end of um the National Academy, we started having just uh one hour phone call meetings and we would just talk. And you know, I really appreciated Chief Die because you know, I'm a thousand miles away and he's asking about asking me about you know input on organizational structures, strengths and weaknesses of the department, you know, just kind of looking for some honest feedback. And um, you know, and I gave it to him. I I really felt that, you know, organizationally that um, you know, we could have maybe changed our structure and be more a little bit more efficient. Um, and then I come back in March, and about a month later, he calls me into his office and says, you know what, I've been thinking about this for a while. And you know, that's that's the one thing I've learned from Chief Dye is like he's always thinking four or five steps ahead. I mean, that this guy's always got the future future goals now. You know, what what do we need to keep doing? Never yes, never be stagnant. I I've learned that is that if once we say, hey, we're in a good place, we don't need to do anything, we're gonna be behind. Um, and he he told me that, you know, he planned on uh reorganizing, doing a restructure, and that he was gonna promote me to deputy chief. And uh it was I had no idea. Um, you know, and he told me, and then we had to wait a couple months before we made it official, um, because there were a few other things that we had to get, you know, worked out. And um, but yeah, it was a complete surprise. Um, you know, it was uh I never expected it, you know. It was kind of a shock, um, and fear too. Um, you know, because anytime, you know, this this person you really don't know says, hey, guess what? Uh I'm gonna make you part of this pivotal role and my my executive team, and you know, I've got plans and I need your help to make these come come true. I was I mean, yeah, I was nervous. I was I I I I called Kendra and told her, and I was like, I I really don't know know what to think, you know. I'm excited, but I'm scared, you know, because the last thing you want to do is is let down anybody and let down the organization. So um, but uh it's it's been great, it's been a great experience.

Speaker:

Yeah.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

I mean you've done an exceptional job. Well, thank you. We the from what we hear, you know, because we're a ground level, we hear everybody around the station, and yeah, I I feel like our officers are like with our current with our command staff we have in place, like they couldn't be happier. Oh awesome. It's been all positive changes, and uh like you said, you know, nobody really likes change. And so you might get a few of those at first that kind of push back, but then once they realize, hey, this changes to benefit you, to make things better in our department.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah, you know, we we we're you know, we we've had some really good chiefs and our department, we we did a a lot of things really, really good. And um, you know, Chief Die bringing an outside perspective, he's really helped us fine-tune and find areas where we can be better, which has been good because our citizens deserve that. They deserve the best police department possible. And I think he's got us in the right trajectory to get there. And um, you know, you mentioned culture. Um, you know, it's like we we have a positive culture that focuses on wellness and and us being the best for ourselves, for our families, for our citizens. So I mean, I I think we have our we have our priorities lined out where they're supposed to be, and it's helping us all be more productive. So it's we're we're in a really good place. You know, we we haven't reached the finish line, but you know, we we've got a plan to get there.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

As a ch like assistant chief, what does your day-to-day look like?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

You know, it's funny. Um when I signed on to be a police officer, right? You know, all I wanted to do was, you know, be a motor officer or canine. I never thought about being a chief, you know. Um and as I've promoted, I've I've had the ability. I I think one of the most gratifying things is is helping others in the organization. And in I think to put it in a nutshell, you know, my job is to get all of our staff the tools they need they need to be the best they can be. And that may be meeting with other department heads or assistant directors or finance to, you know, try to find funding for tools and equipment, or you know, um, like our our Fit Force program, you know, really committing to that and um, you know, promoting the culture that we want. Um it's it I think it's I don't get to do a lot of police work anymore, but the work I'm doing is very gratifying because I see other people happy and successful. So uh, you know, to get back to what my day looks like, um, lots of meetings, um, you know, uh, and then you know, lots of emails, and then the task to follow up. I mean, it could be anything from policy revision to talking to our legal advisors to you know, unfortunately, I get a lot of complaints too. There's a lot of um a lot of citizens that you know they want to talk directly to the chief. So I'll I'll take those calls because he's so busy and and try to try to help them with their concerns, and if you know, definitely if it's something that we did wrong and we didn't deliver the level of service we should have, you know, get that fixed. Or, you know, it's you know, the chief talks about what are we problem solvers, you know, dedicated to the quality, you know, improving the quality of life for our citizens. So finding out how I can solve problems.

unknown:

Yeah.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

And you're even over the the new build, also, right? Of our new PD project.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

I am. So I I have been tasked as our PD project manager. So that uh stay busy with that too. You've learned a lot about construction, yes, more than I ever thought. Uh, you know, uh I it was kind of funny. We we had a committee get together to talk about like the interior, like what do we want the inside of the building to look at look like? And personally, my wife does all that, right? She says, hang this mirror here, put this picture here. I like this paint color, paint it. So it's real easy. But having me part of that process, it was it was uh it was exhausting.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Imagine this morning we were learning about post-tension cables while we were over there.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah. So, but uh just we've got a great team in place, and uh, I can't say thank you enough to those guys over there in engineering.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Yeah, we're excited. Yeah, it'll be here before we know it.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah, we're still in fast. It is so uh, you know, if if you haven't been by, it's right there at the corner of um Century and Butler. You know, they've got steel going up, and you know, they've poured most of the concrete. There's still a couple big pours they have, but uh we're on track, we're on budget, which is the big, you know, big plus. You know, I probably should knock on some wood because uh you know I don't want to jinx myself, but uh right now we're at we're at a good spot.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Yeah, we need a mild winter so they can keep working. Absolutely. Yeah, I love it. I think it's exciting. So yeah. Well, now I hired in here in 07, you were an officer in the schools and clearly with different career paths for the two of us. But now that you know, as you've promoted along the way, has that been a big adjustment as far as like because you're a very hands-on it has.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

I I you know, and that was one of the hardest lessons to learn as a new supervisor. Because if if you jump in and do everything, you're not giving your people an opportunity to learn for themselves. And um, you know, one of the very first lessons I learned in the very first supervisor class I ever went to is it's your job to find your replacement, you know. So as a corporal, I need to be looking for officers that had those skills and those traits that would make good supervisors. Well, if if you do everything on your own, you know, you you can't find out what people have the ability to do. So it's definitely a learning curve, right? And personally, I struggle asking people to help because I don't want to feel like I'm I'm giving them my work. And um, but you got to find that balance. And uh that's probably been one of the most difficult things is stepping back a little bit each time as I've promoted up. And uh, but again, you know, we have we have great people. You know, I've been blessed to work with some supervisors that you know, you know, I trust without any concerns, and I and I know they can do the job and f just being a resource for them, I think that's that's the most important thing. Um and I've learned that, you know, it's in uh but um but yeah, it's been good.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Well you're a huge help to me and Alexis. You know, because we know Chief Chief has an uh an eye for detail, and uh we love to be able to come to you and and let you watch something or bounce something off of you because you can help us before we get it on his desk. Oh, I appreciate it.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Yeah, and I'm always there to help. You know, um one of the things is um you know, identifying people that are talented. And we have a lot of talented people in our department and just giving them, you know, encouraging them and and challenging them to use those talents. And uh, you know, it's as I've promoted also, you know, as a young officer, you think that the only important thing in policing is out there writing tickets and putting people in jail. And as I've promoted, there's so much more, you know. Um uh I was guilty of giving community relations a hard time, you know, as a younger officer, but you know, now I see the value because the interactions that that unit has with our community builds trust, it builds equity for us, and you know, it it it's a it's a hard job. I mean, I I look at what Sergeant Peel's doing, like with our multifamily uh ordinance and just the outreach that she's created. I mean, in you and in Mike and Chance. I mean, so we have a connection with our community that I think a lot of places don't have, and I think that's why we have the support we have.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

I have made a lot of friends here in Allen over the years. It's hard to go places and not know somebody that, you know, of course I always remember faces, don't always remember names, but you know, they we make that impact being out in the community where they remember our names, like we've done something where it made an impact on the other.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Hey, Officer Ripomani, or like the I I have people just you know, that last night was national night out. You know, we had 25 registered parties, which since I've been here has been the most. I don't think we've for the longest time we were hovering around 15, maybe 16. And people were telling me they, you know, I was talking to at one party and they're talking about uh John Felty and the CPA, and I was like, Wow, you're dating yourself because I mean Sergeant Felty has been retired for quite a few years now. Yeah, five years, I think. But uh but peep though you're exactly right. You made an impact, and people remember and made those memories and made that connection and and they're lifelong, and it's it's helping us today because if there was ever a questionable incident, we know that our community is gonna know that we were doing the right thing and they've got our back. So um that investment and that time is it's it's paying off. Yeah.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

Yeah. So I uh wanted to settle a debate.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Sure.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

So the first time I ever met you, um, I had just started here and I attended a staff meeting with uh uh at the time it was Sergeant uh Frank Page, and uh he wanted to debate you on how to pronounce your last name. And he was in there in front of the chief and everyone debating you that your last name was Talifero. Is it Talifero or is it Talifer?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

It's Talifer. So the the O's silent. So I'll I'll give you a brief history and it's probably too much. But originally, you know, my family was from Italy. So if you look at Pharaoh, it stands for iron. So the name's it's it's it's iron worker, works with iron. And then they migrated to England and then over to uh Virginia and then south through Georgia, but my dad's from Oklahoma, so I tell everybody all the Italians gone. So you know it's it's not fancy anymore. So it's pretty country, yes, pretty country. So it's talifer. It's talifer.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

It's amazing that now Lieutenant Page felt the need to tell you how to print it.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

And it's funny because uh I've known people here for 20 years that still can't say it right. So it's just you know, some people it's just like I've always I accepted.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

It's you know it took me up until probably you know, now that I work closer with you, to uh I mean I I didn't know for sure. I'd never I was like, I'm not gonna ask that question.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Well the great thing is when the telemarkers call they bought it, so I know it's like I'm not interested.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

So it's Frank is not scared to ask any questions and debate you.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

No, yeah, he's something else, that guy. Oh my goodness, and he's from Boston, so he has no room to tell anybody how to say words.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Frank, you know, he's another one of those. He came here from Boston, he's been a great officer, he's promoted lieutenant. Um, we spent a Lot of time together on nights as I was his supervisor on a lot of shifts, but uh you know, Frank is one of those guys that you know he he really connects with people. You know, he's one of those people that um he can change the room when he walks into it. Um so you know, he's we're blessed to have him. He's he's he's a good guy. Oh, we love him.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

He was our supervisor when she hired in, so he is our supervisor in community relations, and he was a natural at it. He was really good at that spot, and uh he decided to promote and go work nights. Yep. Like but he's great at it, he's good at patrol.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

I mean, everybody loves him on a shift. He I mean, he has I mean we're gonna get him on here eventually.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Oh, good. He'll be interested if you can understand him. We can't get the Boston out of him.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

No, it's even worse when he goes home to visit. Yeah, we have to get him re-acclimated. Yeah, it takes a couple weeks. All over again. It's terrible.

Speaker:

Yeah.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

So if there's one thing you could tell the community, what would that be?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

You know, I think uh through my career, uh my goal has never been to embarrass my family. All the decisions I've ever made, I wanted my family to be proud of me. You know, um I I've I've based all my decisions off my my belief, you know, in in Christ and my my Catholic beliefs, and in I want to make my family proud. Um it's it's like this job can be consuming. And I think sometimes a lot of us um we lose the fact and I just identify ourselves as police officers. You know, and I want to be identified as a as a great husband, a great father, you know, a a great Christian, um, and then police officer. You know, that that's that's part of me, but it's not who I am. Um so I I think uh the values that I hold deepest are are rooted in the right place. And I I think that's helped me um through my career to to with I hate to say success, you know, because I I've you know a lot of my success has been because I've been involved in teams that have been successful. I've always tried to, like I said, we were talking earlier, find the talented people and encourage them to do their best. Because as a supervisor, if all your people are are doing great, it makes you look great, it makes your job look easy. So, you know, I I just wanted to encourage them to be their best. But uh, but yeah, just those those those deep-rooted values. And um, you know, I I've I've never done anything to to you know um fray those or or make me question those. And um sometimes I guess you can come across as boring, you know, or but uh you know it's it's really about you know doing the right thing, doing what's ethical, because I I take a lot of pride in what I do, you know. The the the badge and the patch, it means a lot to me. And you know, not only do I not want to disgrace my family or embarrass them, I don't want to embarrass the other 15 you know 55 or 220 of us that work for the Island Police Department or the thousand of us that work for the city, it's important to me. So I take that and that that's really important to me.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

Is there anything new in your unit that you can share?

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

Our unit, I mean, you know, if we don't want to get too technical, um, you know, we're currently we're transitioning all of our in-car cameras um uh that we use to record our traffic stops and our encounters. Um, there's some new technology now that they have uh license plate reader capabilities. So now we have the opportunity to collect more open source data that we can use as investigative tools or develop possible suspect leads. Um you know, we've uh it's really interesting. We're getting a lot of um vendors coming in trying to um get us to get involved with AI technologies. Um there's a lot that's this seems seems to be the new wave in law enforcement, just like everything else, is that utilizing AI to manipulate your data, search your data, help us be more efficient. So, you know, we're working through, we're trying a company right now that uh has been very generous and is letting us try their product for free for a little bit. Um, you know, and the great thing about Chief Dye is if we get some kind of new technology, the first people it goes to are our boots on the ground are are men and women that are working the streets. And if it's a technology that can benefit them, then we're gonna really look into it. If it's a technology that that they don't really need then or they don't really like, then you know we're gonna toss it because we don't want to waste our time with that. So um, I think just evolving and using the the new technology coming to us.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Yeah, AI is is the way of the world, it seems like.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

I I think it's getting incorporated into just about every everything. Yeah.

Community Outreach Coordinator Alexus Birmingham:

Yeah, it's very interesting what you're seeing now that's being produced through AI.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Yeah, it's we go to a lot of PIO schools and training, and some of the videos, they're like, all right, is this a real video or a fake video? And it's really hard to tell the difference between an AI video and and the real.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

You know, and some of the aspects we're looking at is is you know, performance metrics, you know, data analysis. I mean, because if our investigators, if they get the very limited suspect information, you know, or a vehicle, and it's like uh, you know, a white Ford license plate XYZ, well, they type it into AI, and then anything that we've dealt with utilizing those those um signatures or those descriptions, it'll pull for us. So rather than our our staff having to comb through thousands and thousands of reports, it spits it out for them, you know, right then and there, and then they can, you know, so something that could have taken weeks to search now takes seconds. So that's that's really cool.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

Well, we appreciate you coming on today. We're not gonna take up too much of your time. I know you're you're a busy, busy man. So we we really do thank you for coming on. Uh sorry we waited, you know. No, you're good.

Assistant Chief Kyle Talliaferro:

That's part of my job is giving people hard times too. So we we appreciate it. We love it. Yes, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Officer Sam Rippamonti:

If you want to learn more about upcoming events or what we do here at the Allen Police Department, go to Allenpolice.org. And make sure to like and subscribe. And if you have any comments, leave them down below. We'll see you next time.