GULF SHORES, Ala. — While some may view their careers as just making a living, Gulf Shores Police Department Sgt. Alan Carpenter sees his as a family tradition.
The native of Luverne, Ala., said his father was a conservation officer in Crenshaw …
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GULF SHORES, Ala. — While some may view their careers as just making a living, Gulf Shores Police Department Sgt. Alan Carpenter sees his as a family tradition.
The native of Luverne, Ala., said his father was a conservation officer in Crenshaw County, which lies just south of Montgomery. Carpenter began working for his hometown police department in 1994, and after two years there he moved to Gulf Shores.
The 11-year veteran is now a member of the SWAT team, the department’s defensive tactics instructor, and involved with patrol supervision.
“What I like most about working in law enforcement is everything is fast paced, and the opportunity to get involved with a lot of things helps with my short attention span,” Carpenter said. “When you work at a relatively small but growing police department, you usually wear more than one hat.”
Carpenter cited the hesitancy to get involved with people who just want to get on his good side because of his position, and a strange work schedule as his biggest dislikes. However, he said recent schedule changes within the patrol division have allowed him more time with his family.
In 1993, he received a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from Troy University, after transfering with an associates of science degree in general studies from Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Andalusia. Like most officers at GSPD, his list of training is a couple miles long. Some of the notables include: Basic SWAT, Defensive Tactics Instructor Training, Dynamic Simulations, Active Shooter Response, and FBI Instructor Development.
He’s has taught disruptive students, a course that equips schools with tactics to gain control over disorderly K-12 students, and workplace/personal safety courses at Meyer Real Estate.
Carpenter said he began his first paying job at age 13, painting gas meters for the Natural Gas Co. He said his favorite part of living in Baldwin County is the variety of entertainment and things to do, as opposed to his rural roots. Carpenter and his wife Jaynae live in Elberta.
