Deputy Sheriff Colt Allery

Deputy Sheriff Colt Eugene Allery Rolette County Sheriff's Office, ND
End of Watch: January 18, 2017 BFTF Representatives That Attended Funeral: James Roddin D/Sgt. 531 Narcotics Jim shared his experience with us: When I heard that the Brotherhood For The Fallen was looking for a volunteer to attend the funeral of a fallen officer in North Dakota, I was happy and proud to volunteer. I had to plan for this trip on very short notice. I was notified that the trip was confirmed around 10 pm Saturday night, 1/21/17 and I was scheduled to fly out on a 10:25 flight from LGA the next morning. I met NYPD Officers Brian Johnson and Ana Castro at the airport in Chicago, where we had a connecting flight to Fargo, North Dakota. From Fargo, the 2 NYPD Officers and I rented a car and made the 4-hour drive to Belcourt, ND. Belcourt is on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation and has a population of only 2078 people. There is only one hotel in the area, The Sky Dancer Hotel, so that's where we stayed. That evening, we met up and socialized with several Fargo PD Officers who had made the four-hour drive not only to serve in the honor guard, but to answer any police calls for the Rolette County Sheriff's Office, the department in which the fallen officer, Deputy Sheriff Colt Allery had worked. Rolette County Sheriff’s Office has only nine officers that serve the county. The Fargo PD stepped in and handled all of the 911 calls, so that the Rolette County officers could mourn their brother officer. Deputy Sheriff Colt Allery was a 29-year-old man with five children and a fiancé, Alexandria. Monday, Jan. 23rd was the wake. The wake was held at the Turtle Mountain Community College. We arrived early and were invited to participate in the "gauntlet" of uniformed officers who lined the hallway of the college all the way to the auditorium, where the service was held. The procession and the wake were very unique. Colt Allery was a Catholic, but also followed the Native American traditions. The ceremony was a mixture of both, with a group of Native Americans chanting, singing and banging on a large drum and presided over by a Catholic Priest. At the wake, we met two members of the Chicago Police Department, Lieutenant Joe Giambrone and Detective Tom Kolman, who were representing the Chicago chapter of The Brotherhood For The Fallen. We each saluted the casket, then presented a donation from each chapter of BFTF to the fiancé and brother of Colt Allery. I also gave each of them a Suffolk County PD patch. Later in the evening, back at the hotel, we were again introduced to Deputy Sheriff Allery's family, including his fiancé and her family and many others. We quickly became friends with the entire family and they couldn't have been more appreciative of our presence. I gave Allery's fiancé, Alex, a pin with the SCPD Patch on it and two different Suffolk County Superior Officers Association pins. The Chicago PD, NYPD officers and I were interviewed by a local news station, which was widely shared on social media. That evening we were honored to be asked by the family to attend a Native American "Spirit Fire" ceremony at the home of Alex's Brother, Murton. I had never attended such a ceremony and I was impressed by the traditions and culture of the Native Americans. Tuesday, January 24th was the funeral. Again, it was a mixture of a Catholic and Native American service. Over 2000 people attended the funeral, including approximately 1200 police officers from all over the state of North Dakota and a few from several neighboring states. The honor guard greeted us at the door and escorted us to our seats. The service was very moving and it was broadcast on the local news station. After he funeral, we participated in the procession to the town of Rolla, where Deputy Sheriff Allery's body will be held in a vault until the spring, when the ground thaws enough to have him buried. Along the route, people were standing to pay tribute as the procession passed by. After the funeral, a meal was served at the Sky Dancer hotel. Over one thousand members of the community attended including Doug Burgum, the Governor of North Dakota, who spent a considerable amount of the day attending the funeral and the fellowship. I had the honor of meeting Governor Burgum and I had the opportunity to thank him for his support of law enforcement. That evening we again had the opportunity to spend time with the immediate family of Colt Allery. We were honored that they chose to spend time with us, and I was touched to see that Alex, Colt's fiancé had worn the three Suffolk County PD pins that I had given her to the funeral. This deployment, although very sad, was very satisfying to me. I feel like the other Brotherhood members and I made a real difference in the lives of the friends, family and co-workers of Deputy Sheriff Allery. I will always keep them all in my prayers. Thank you Jim for representing us so well. We are proud to have you as a member of the Brotherhood For The Fallen, Suffolk County, NY.