Michael Allen has 30 years and a wide range of experience in the law enforcement field and wants to share that experience.
Allen announced Monday he has filed for sheriff of Humboldt County, and he will be running against current Sheriff Ed Kilgore.
"I felt that I want to give the people of Winnemucca and Humboldt County a choice for sheriff," he said.
Allen, who is working as a private investigator, is a sixth generation Winnemuccan and said he feels he has a vested interest in the community. Even though he has moved away for various positions, he always comes back, he said.
Allen said he first thought of running for sheriff when multiple people in the community approached him about doing so. The interest spurred him to explore the idea further and see if it was feasible.
"There were a lot of positive responses from the community," he said.
Allen, who graduated from Lowry High School in 1981, began his career in law enforcement in 1983 as an officer with the Winnemucca Police Department. From there, Allen went on to work as a member of the state's investigation division in Elko where he served as a criminal investigator. Allen landed a promotion as lieutenant and commander of a multi-agency Humboldt-Pershing narcotics unit in 1993, which allowed him to return to Winnemucca.
Allen was reassigned to the state headquarters of the Nevada Division of Investigation in Carson City in 2000 and led a number of statewide task forces and criminal investigations units.
Allen's 20 years of experience in law enforcement leadership include: narcotics, undercover operations, search warrants, criminal interdiction, writing and administration of grants, personnel management, internal affairs and budgeting practices.
One thing Allen said would be a priority for him if elected would be to pass on his extensive training and experience to his personnel.
"I have been fortunate in my career; I have always been able to attend conferences and seminars - that's so invaluable to where I am today," he said. "I want to be able to give that back to people who would work for me if I was elected sheriff."
In 2001, he was chosen to head the Nevada State Special Investigation unit (also known as the Nevada Threat Analysis Center). As director, Allen served as the liaison between Nevada's 17 counties. While in that position, Allen collected intelligence, mitigated potential threats and created, maintained and balanced multi-million-dollar budgets.
Allen retired from the state in 2010 and became the owner of a private investigation and consulting business. He said he saw it as a great way to bring his background and experience back to his hometown. Earlier this year, Allen returned to Winnemucca to "dedicate his time to the community."
Allen said his focus for the office of sheriff will be to: improve training and career development for all employees, institute cost-effective budgeting practices, enhance the scope of protection and services provided by the office, protect liberty and justice, and foster a culture that values community-based policing and community involvement.
"I want to make sure the county is fully protected with the most professional law enforcement agency possible by providing experience, integrity and accountability to citizens and visitors," Allen said.[[In-content Ad]]
