Like father, like son
State trooper's son follows in his father's footsteps
By Shariq Torres CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Elli Morris/Chesterfield Observer Ryan Woodhouse and his father, Angelo, are the second African American father and son to work for the Virginia State Police in Chesterfield County.

Fathers want their children to go farther, be better, and make a good life for themselves.

But secretly, nothing usually makes a father happier than to see his offspring follow in his footsteps, which is what Ryan Woodhouse did when he joined the Virginia State Police.

Aside from being the first of his siblings to join the department (Ryan has a younger sister), this marks the second African-American father /son legacy working for the state police in Chesterfield County.

Ryan's father, Angelo Woodhouse, is a 27-year veteran trooper.

Like they say, imitation is the best form of flattery.

"I've always been interested in a career like his," the 23-year-old Ryan said. "I'm not a 'sit in the office' type of person."

Ryan will graduate from the state police's training academy in October.

Before making his decision to work in law enforcement, Ryan worked as an assistant manager at Jersey Mike's and attended John Tyler Community College. He is an avid hockey fan and has played the sport for years, so it seemed natural to the family, Angelo said, that Ryan would end up as a youth coach.

"He never mentioned [joining the Virginia State Police]," Angelo said, "so it caught me off guard. I'm proud of him. It makes me proud that he would want to follow in my footsteps."

Angelo joined the state police in 1980. Since he experienced racism from fellow troopers and trainers during his first years with the organization, Angelo was sure to warn his son about the possibility of coming in contact with such attitudes.

"It was much more racial problems back then. It was the attitudes from other troopers and the public," Angelo said. "It was deep down. They thought there were actual differences between blacks and whites."

Since joining the Virginia State Police, Ryan said that he hasn't experienced any negativity on the job due to his race.

"He never got too in depth about what happened," Ryan said. "It didn't mess up my outlook any. I figured I'd deal with it when I encountered it."

For now, Ryan is studying hard at the academy, and on the weekends, vainly attempting to recruit his sister to join the family trade.

"No luck at all," Ryan said, laughing. "This is not for her."

Angelo, meanwhile, is looking forward to seeing Ryan graduate.

"I always wanted him to do something better, well, not better but just something different," Angelo said. "But you can't help but be proud of your kids, no matter what."