Allen David Brandt was born on March 12, 1982 in Battle Creek, Michigan. He grew up in Sturgis, Michigan with his parents and three siblings, and attended Sturgis Public School from Kindergarten through High School. He was very close to his siblings, Andrew, Aaron, and Aleesha. From an early age, encouraged by his father and grandpa, Allen developed a passion for hunting and fishing. During his school years, Allen enjoyed participating in a wide range of activities including church programs, Bible schools, musicals, and choirs. While his good musical ear first led him to play the violin, he eventually switched to singing, which became a passion that he maintained his whole life. He also discovered a keen interest in aviation which, along with his interest in the outdoors, led him to attend college at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks where he planned to study Aviation. While Allen did obtain his pilot’s license between his freshman and sophomore year, his academic focus took a turn and he began to consider careers other than Aviation. Allen graduated UAF in 2004 summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication with a Minor in Business. Allen was accepted into the Alaska Police Corps in the Fall of 2004 and was then hired with Fairbanks Police Department in 2005. During the 11 years that Allen served and protected the citizens of Fairbanks, he received many letters of commendation and honors due to his exceptional investigatory skills and superior work ethic. Allen spent 7 years of his career at FPD as a dedicated and proficient traffic officer. Allen loved to challenge himself as a law enforcement officer. He was promoted to Sergeant in May of 2015.