New sheriff's deputy on the Point

James Allen has taken over as one of the two resident Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies serving Point Roberts.

A Whatcom County native, Allen grew up in Lynden and graduated from Lynden High School in 2009. He joined the Whatcom County Sheriff’s office as a cadet in 2016 and attended the Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien before taking on patrol duties in the county. “I like the variety of the work and I like helping people, doing something important,” he said.

Allen volunteered for the position in Point Roberts, where he will serve for two years with an option to extend for an additional two-year term. He and his wife moved to the Point and he took over his new role in January.

“I’m looking forward to the community policing aspect and getting to know the people I serve,” he said.

In his first few months on the Point, Allen said he had found traffic safety a source of concern, watching numerous vehicles breeze through the stop sign at the corner of Tyee Drive and Benson Road. “I’ve been to too many crashes where someone doesn’t stop and people get hurt,” he said.

Allen replaces deputy Tom McCarthy, who served in Point Roberts for four years, making the enforcement of leash laws a priority. He joins deputy Ian Johnson, who has been on the Point for two years and is approved to serve here an additional two-year assignment.

Allen volunteered for the Point Roberts position, said undersheriff Jeff Parks. “He’s a Whatcom County local and came to us brand new,” Parks said. Allen was hired as a cadet in January 2016 and took up his position on the Point in January 2019.