Oak Park police detective honored as a ‘mighty hero,’ pride of the South Side

Detective Allan Reddins was remembered Thursday as a proud father, a caring friend and a rising star in the Oak Park Police Department.

Mourners packed the Apostolic Church of God in the Woodlawn neighborhood for Reddins' funeral. He was killed in the line of duty on Nov. 29. He joined the Oak Park Police Department in 2019 after serving for two years as a Metra police officer.

“I knew immediately Allan was an asset to the Oak Park Police Department and to the Oak Park community,” Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson said during her eulogy.

“Allan was wise beyond his years,” Johnson added. “No one would have known he had just shy of eight years in this profession. His commitment to serving is unparalleled. His dedication to the department and to the Oak Park community was undeniable.”

Reddins, who became a detective in 2022, was working patrol the day he died because of staffing shortages. He responded to a call of an armed man leaving a bank in downtown Oak Park. After Reddins and another officer approached the man, he pulled out a gun and fired shots, striking Reddins.

Evanston Police Chief Schenita Stewart and Oak Park Police Cmdr. Schonella Stewart, twin sisters and colleagues of Reddins, described their friend as the pride of the South Side, where he grew up. Reddins attended St. Ailbe Elementary School and Harlan High School. He studied criminal justice at Triton College and later finished his degree at Loyola University.

“People from the South Side of Chicago can do anything and become anyone. His determination in both life and his career proved that to be true,” Schenita Stewart said. “Alan was not just a hero. He was a mighty hero.”

Being a father was Reddins’ most cherished role, Schenita Stewart said. His 19-year-old son Jayden Reddins is a student at Morehouse College.

“Allan never missed an opportunity to brag about Jayden. Not just about his academic successes, but also about the kind and compassionate person he has become,” Stewart said. “Jayden embodies the values Allan held closest to his heart: integrity, humility and an unwavering sense of kindness towards others.”

Reddins' childhood friend James Butler remembers the day Jayden was born. Reddins called him, jubilant with the news that he was now a dad. He later would ask Butler to be Jayden's godfather.

"I saw the change in him, the growth," Butler said. "He was dedicated to being a great father, a provider to his family."

A poem written by Reddins’ younger brother, Johnny Bradbury, was also read aloud during Thursday’s service.

“The day you left felt like my soul was gone. Your spirit and your energy was so bold and strong,” the poem reads. “You always told me to remain solid and to stay 10 toes down. But without you, who else can I look up to now? My heart aches so bad because you're not here. Never thought I would lose you so soon.”