I was saddened when I got the message from Bill Allard’s son that his dad had passed away. I met Bill in the early 1970s, introduced by his friend and partner Jim Cirillo, whom I had met at a PPC match in Rhode Island. They worked on the famous NYPD Stakeout Unit. I was able to spend a few days with the unit, going on stakeout and interviewing several members including then-acting commander Joe Volpato, for an article that appeared in Man’s magazine. Jim and Bill became lifelong friends. We lost Jim more than a decade ago in a tragic auto accident.
Allard led the unit in the number of gunfights won and violent gunmen killed in the line of duty. He was a strong advocate of using the front sight and carefully aiming even when under fire, and did so in all but one of his shootings. He never fired a shot that missed his opponent, and never lost a gun battle. “I remember the seven ridges on the front sight of my 1911,” he said, speaking of actual shootings. The department had given him special permission to carry that .45 auto, his favorite sidearm through the end of his life. He emphasizes that it was skill at arms that he developed off The Job on his own time that accounted for his amazing hit ratio in actual combat. Bill won national championships and was a strong advocate of competitive shooting experience as an enhancement of gunfight survival capability.
You can read about his adventures in “Guns, Bullets, and Gunfighting” by Jim Cirillo and “Jim Cirillo and Tales of the Stakeout Squad” by Paul Kirschner, both available on Amazon. You can also hear my interview with him on the ProArms Podcast. Our discussion of his gunfight experience begins about 28 minutes in.
Like it or not, the police are society’s gunfighters. Even the people who want to ban your possession of “high capacity” Glocks and AR15s say that if you’re in trouble, you should call the cops – who will likely arrive with Glocks and AR15s. Men like Bill Allard and Jim Cirillo were exemplars of the guardians who face death to protect and serve.
RIP, brother Bill.
Another thought-provoking article, Mas. Keep them coming, please and thank you!
In my old age, looking back at carrying .40, trying and rejecting 10mm, thinking about 9mm briefly, and finally wrapping my hand around the .45, I never looked back.
Carry a Colt Defender and will as long as I can.
Maybe on the other side of an arthritic 80+ years old, it may have to be a Glock 19. But not yet.
Good article.
Mas, sorry on the loss of your friend. Friends like that are hard to lose in as much that the loss of any friend is hard. Thank You for the heartfelt article. Makes one stop and think for certain!
[Taps]
I have listened to every gunfight survivors podcast on ProArms and am hopeful that you will be posting more soon as it has been ages since a new one has been added. I have listened to most of them multiple times. I have also been out to your training in Columbus Ohio and read most of your books. THANKS for doing what you do! I am very sorry for the loss of your friends.
My condolences to the family. God Bless RIP
I’ve read Jim’s book and watched his video several times over the years. He, Bill Allard, and the other men on that Stakeout Unit did good work and stopped a terrible rash of armed robberies pretty quick. I’d like to think there are policemen today who could do that job if they were unshackled by our snowflake politicos!!
Another sad day for the LE and Gun communities. Goes to show us how much one life can impact so many others. {eace be with you.
Changing of the guard.
We can only hope that successors live up to the legacies. Well, hope, guide, support, encourage, share …
Thanks for doing what you do, Mass.
And especially for keeping us informed, our memories refressed.
Condolences for the personal losses you experience all too often.
Thanks for the information, Mas. I’m very sad to learn of Bill’s passing. I have been an admirer of his for many years, as well as of Jim Cirillo & the rest of the NYPD Stakeout Unit. I own & have read the two books you mentioned many times. There is so much that can be learned from their experiences that we owe all of them a debt of gratitude. He will be missed.
Bill, thanks for leaving behind an inspiration and example for other professionals to follow.
Cirillo and his counterparts would never be tolerated on today’s NYPD. NYC politicians love criminals, and despise the folks who risk their lives to keep innocents safe.
Tales from the Stakeout Squad is running $121 for used copy.
Bummer.
My sincerest condolences go out to his family.
“He never fired a shot that missed his opponent,…”. Now THAT’S impressive. Super-human even. Think about that amount of self-control in such stressful situations. Think about how important good marksmanship and hollow points are in an urban setting. Any misses could easily endanger non-combatants, since they are in all directions in a city. I believe hollow points are more likely to stay in the first body they hit. Full metal jacket rounds could pass through a body and keep on going, I imagine.
Mas, I’m sorry for the loss of your close friend and a good man. Jim
RIP Ofcr. Allard, one of the greats. Highly recommend ALL the ProArms podcasts if you haven’t listened already.
Truly a loss to the community. I’ve met him a few times and he was always great to have a conversationalist.
Very nice write-up, Massad. I only heard good things about you from both Bill and Jim. I’m sorry I never got the chance to meet you when you were visiting the SOU back in the seventies.
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