John Paul Allsopp, 51, passed away Wednesday, July 2, 2025, following a courageous five-year battle with cancer.
      He was born Aug. 29, 1973, in Youngstown, Oh., a son of the late Thomas Carl Jr. and Patricia Louise Connelly Allsopp.
      John was a lifelong resident of the Poland community and a 1991 graduate of Poland Seminary High School.
      From 1992 to 2000, John served his country in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
      After graduating at the top of his class from the University of Akron Police Academy in 1997, he was hired by the Hudson Police Department before accepting employment with the Boardman Township Police Department in 1999, where he would proudly serve the community in a fulfilling and accomplished 25 year career. John was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2002 and achieved the rank of lieutenant in 2017.
      During his tenure at Boardman, John worked numerous assignments and details, including as a patrol division supervisor, Traffic Unit, Detective Bureau, Street Crimes Unit, Mahoning County OVI Task Force, training instructor, field training officer and, most recently, as a project coordinator and grant writer.
      His professional duties as a law enforcement officer were recognized by many.
      In Sept., 1997 Officer Allsopp answered the call of a breaking and entering at a home on Stratford Rd. The resident of the home observed that Officer Allsop was “helpful and calming to this situation. It seemed to me he was going out of his way to make my wife and I feel as comfortable as it was possible at that time.”
      In Mar., 2001, Officer Allsopp was part of a team of Boardman Township policemen were drew praise from Beaver Police Chief Carl Frost for bravery in the face of an armed suspect who was shooting at law enforcement officials and was later apprehended.
      Today there is a traffic light at the intersection of McClurg Rd. and South Ave., thanks to the efforts of Officer Allsopp, who worked tirelessly to lobby for the traffic signal in 2012.
      In 2022, Officer Allsopp was the author of a $628,358 grant that was awarded to the Boardman Police Department. Included in that funding was $435,200 that was set aside for retention bonuses for members of the department.
      John spent his entire adult life learning and growing, based on the strong foundations he felt were first established by attending Poland Local Schools.
      He attended Youngstown State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in criminal justice, and later a Master of Science degree in law enforcement administration, where he was recognized for graduating from the Master’s Program with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
      He further completed the highest level of professional law enforcement executive training offered by the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) by graduating from both their Certified Law Enforcement Executive (CLEE) and Police Executive Leadership College (PELC) programs.
      He was a 2019 graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Often referred to as “the West Point for law enforcement,” the FBI National Academy is widely considered to be the most prestigious law enforcement executive training program in the world.
      While attending the National Academy, John obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia, where he again achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA within that program of study.
      John’s love of both community and sports extended to his volunteerism within the Poland Local School District.
      In 2012, John served on the Poland Local Schools Superintendent’s Search Committee; and was later asked to be on the Schools Task Force on School Security. From 2013 to 2016, he was asked to participate in the Poland Local Schools Superintendent Roundtable Groups.
      In 2012, John was installed as an active trustee of the Poland All-Sports Boosters, an organization that helps raise funds and directly supports all the student-athletes of the Poland Local School District, grades 7-12.
      In September 2017, John was made the organization’s vice president, and in June 2023, he was installed as the president of the Poland All-Sports Boosters. Since 2016, He served as a member of the Poland Seminary High School Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, and since 2018, was a volunteer statistician for the Poland Seminary High School football team. He further assisted the Poland Seminary High School Athletic Department as a clock operator and volunteer, including at charity events such as the annual United Way Holiday Basketball Tournament.
      Mr. Allsopp further volunteered his time in the community with the Poland Community Baseball Association (PCBA), Dogs Travel Baseball, Poland Youth Basketball and Poland Flag Football.
      In 2023, he received the Poland Seminary Bulldogs Football Team’s 12th Man Award, and in 2024, he was further honored by receiving the Poland Schools Foundation for Educational Excellence’s Alumnus of the Year Award.
      John was a member of the following organizations: the FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA); the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); the Ohio Association of Chief of Police (OACP); the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (OPBA) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
      As involved as John was at work and in the community, nothing meant more to him than family.
      He leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife, Stacy Marie Pettinato Allsopp; three sons, John Paul (Melaina Kirschner) Alisopp Jr. of Erie, Pa., Justin Patrick Allsopp and Jacob Parker (Katelyn Justice) Allsopp; two brothers, Matthew (Marcy) Allsopp of Pittsburgh, Pa. and Brian Allsopp of Struthers; a sister, Amy (Anthony) Daprile of Canfield; stepmother, Cheryl Horst Allsopp of Columbiana; a stepsister, Lisa Williams of Poland; parents-in-law, Patrick and Sandra (Carver) Pettinato of Butler, Pa.; brothers-in-law, Patrick (Amy) Pettinato of Butler and Paul (Jenna) Pettinato of Novelty; sister-in-law, Tammy (Alex) Pettinato Oltz of Fargo, North Dakota and many uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces and friends (too numerous to list).
      He was preceded in death by his parents, and his grandparents, Thomas and Genevieve McGuire Allsopp and Kenneth and Mary Willoughby Connelly.
      In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory may be made to the Poland All-Sports Boosters, P.O. Box 5021, Poland, Oh., 44514; or to FOP Lodge 43, P.O. Box 3236, Boardman, Oh., 44513-3236.