The Heart of Policing

Langston Puller ’17 is continuing a family tradition of policing as an officer in the Mansfield Police Department. His grandfather, Lt. Alfred “Al” Puller, is a retired State Police Officer and Langston’s uncle (and fellow alumnus), Paden Puller ’05, is a sergeant for the Harvard University Police Department. For Langston, police work is about community service. “At the end of the day, this is a community service job,” says Langston. “The town pays my checks but it’s the people who direct me on what to do with my job. I’m here to help people.” 

One of the reasons that Langston felt drawn to the Mansfield Police Department is for their POP unit, which stands for problem oriented policing.The POP unit is often responsible for handling domestic violence issues, and he hopes someday to be a part of it. During his time at Xaverian, he founded Young Men 4 Change, a club dedicated to redefining masculinity, promoting equality, and examining social justice issues that affect our society today. Langston’s mother,Wendy Allmendinger, was dedicated to working with victims of domestic assault and abuse, and her experience had an impact on Langston. 

“This wasn’t a hot topic at Xaverian at the time,” says Langston. “I thought it was important to have some kind of positive conversation for kids going to school where they are not around a lot of women, to help them understand what it means to be in support of the women in their life.”With Dr. Christopher Vasta ’00 (then Assistant Principal for Student Life, now Chief Administrator for School Advancement) as the club moderator, Young Men 4 Change began programming to that end.They hosted a speaker, Malcolm Astley, who lost his daughter Lauren to domestic violence. “I found that really powerful, and I know other students did as well,” says Langston.They even brought a group of young men to Boston’s White Ribbon Day Ceremony at City Hall. White Ribbon Day was established to end gender-based violence. Young Men 4 Change (or as it’s often referred to today, YM4C) is a club that continues to operate and positively impact the Xaverian community now, six years later. 

After Xaverian, Langston went on to Amherst College where he played on the Mammoth’s offensive line. He was approved as an applicant for theMansfield Police Pictured here is Paden Puller ’05 and Langston Puller ’17 Department in 2021 (with Dr. Vasta serving as a reference), passed the fitness test, attended the Academy, and became an officer in 2022. Now he’s putting in his time working the overnight shifts, midnight to 8:00 a.m. He isn’t the only Hawk serving in the MPD though. Langston also works with Officer Mike Fitzgerald ’08, and he hopes any Hawk who is interested in policing will give it a try. 

“It’s one of the most rewarding careers in the world,” Langston says. “I’ve worked several jobs focused on providing for a community, but policing is the one where I’ve felt the most impactful. It’s not often someone gets to do a job where they can see the positive impact they have on people, but a career in law enforcement offers that opportunity. Now, probably more than ever, law enforcement needs educated and motivated people. Being a graduate, I know that anyone who took the Xaverian culture to heart has those characteristics and would make an excellent police officer.”