SPRINGFIELD — The Post Commander of the Springfield post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol passed away Wednesday after being hospitalized with COVID-19.
“The patrol can confirm the off-duty death of Lt. Brian K. Aller,” said OSHP Lt. Nathan Dennis.
Aller was hospitalized earlier this month after contracting COVID-19, according to a GoFundMe page organized on behalf of Aller’s wife.
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Aller had been with the state patrol for over 20 years and had served as the commander of the Springfield post since January 2014.
Aller first knew he wanted to go into law enforcement when he was 19 years old, while working with Huber Heights as a police explorer. Before deciding on a career in law enforcement, Aller thought he wanted to be a mechanical engineer. But he quickly discovered a desk job inside of a cubicle was not for him.
“I rode with an officer from Mad River Twp. and from that night on, I knew (law enforcement) was for me — whether being a police officer or anything else,” Aller told News Center 7 in 2014 after his promotion.
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Aller earned his Associate’s degree from Sinclair Community College and began his law enforcement career as an officer with the St. Paris Police Department. He was later a deputy with the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office before applying for the State Highway Patrol.
Aller was at the OSP Dayton post for five years, and worked as a sergeant at the Piqua post for 11 years before becoming Springfield’s post commander.