Monrovia Police Chief Roger Johnson Officially Steps Down

A career spanning more than three decades with the Monrovia Police Department came to an end this week when Roger Johnson--who got his start in the department as a police cadet when he was a teenager--retired from his position as the city's chief of police.

Johnson, 51, officially stepped down Sunday and his colleagues bade him farewell Thursday night at a retirement banquet that drew hundreds of attendees. Johnson's entire career in law enforcement was spent in Monrovia, where he served a variety of functions within the department before taking over as chief in 2002.

"It's one of those Cinderella stories where Roger started as an explorer in our city and continued up the ranks all the way to chief," Mayor Mary Ann Lutz said.

Born into a law enforcement family--his father, Neal Johnson, once served as the police chief in Arcadia--Johnson joined the department in 1978 at the age of 18. He began as a dispatcher and also worked as an officer and detective before making captain and then getting hired as chief.

He was replaced as the head of the department Monday by Jim Hunt, a former captain in the department who will act as interim chief until the city decides on a replacement.

A graduate of Cal State Los Angeles with a master's degree in criminal justice administration, Johnson attended the California Law Enforcement Command College and obtained a certification from Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Academy for Leadership in 2001, according to Hunt.

City Manager Scott Ochoa described Johnson as adept at police work and also highly skilled in managing the administrative functions of the department.

"He was really the prototype of a modern police chief, in that he was an outstanding police officer but he was also highly educated, highly credentialed," Ochoa said.

Monrovia has long been a proponent of the "community policing" model, which focuses not only on crime suppression but also on intervention and prevention through active interaction with citizens. Ochoa said Johnson embraced the role of a community leader in a way the city hopes to replicate with future chiefs.

"Under the community policing model, the police department is really the access--the pivot point--for all of the efforts that go into solving a neighborhood problem," Ochoa said. "I think it really is a new paradigm for how we look at problems."

The most difficult period under Johnson's tenure was a rash of gang violence that claimed four lives in late 2007 and early 2008, sending city officials scrambling for ways to stop back-and-forth shootings between Latino and African-American gangs.

Lutz praised Johnson's handling of the crisis at the time.

"Roger stepped outside the box and said to police chiefs in the community, 'I need your help, I need the full court press and I need your help here,'" Lutz said. "And that was a game changer."

A gang task force was set up with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as officers worked to increase the police presence on the ground, and city officials began pursuing an anti-gang injunction against two local gangs--Monrovia Nuevo Varrio and the Duroc Crips--that a judge granted in late 2009.

City officials have championed the decrease in gang violence since the measures were implemented, and Lutz called the injunction Johnson's "shining moment" during his time as chief.

Johnson's tenure, however, wasn't without controversy, as the department became embroiled in a series of racial discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuits that increased scrutiny on the department's internal atmosphere. Between 2006 and 2009, brought by former police department employees, and several named Johnson as a defendant.

Johnson could not be reached for comment on this story.

Ochoa said that he believes the department made some mistakes in that period in how it handled complaints from officers inside the department.

"The supervisory chain really broke down, and didn't handle it correctly," he said of one of the lawsuits, noting that he believes those problems were rectified quickly.

Johnson's leadership methods also alienated some people along the way, Ochoa acknowledged. Known for his top-down management style, Johnson took the paramilitary nature of the department very seriously, Lutz said.

Ochoa said he had "extremely high standards" for all of his officers.

"Sometimes when we hold people accountable for those standards, people aren't always happy about it," Ochoa said. "But I'm proud of how the department has responded over the long-term to his leadership."

The Monrovia Police Department was singled out for distinction several times during Johnson's reign. Most recently, the department was a finalist for the Community Policing Award given by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Johnson was also heavily involved in regional policing, serving as as a member of the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Executive Board and as the executive project manager for the Los Angeles Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse (LA CLEAR).

Ochoa said he didn't know what Johnson's future plans include but speculated that he would continue to be involved in law enforcement as a consultant or an interim chief of police elsewhere.

The city began its search for a new chief on Monday and Ochoa said he expects to have a pool of candidates by the end of the summer. Separate advisory committees made up of area police chiefs, police officers, and community members will all be given a chance to weigh in on the process, Ochoa said.

The final hiring decision rests with Ochoa, and he said he expects to receive highly competitive applications from high ranking members of other departments in addition to Hunt's candidacy.

"I think we're gonna miss Roger, but at the same time he's done his job so well and built such a deep bench on his team that Monrovia will carry on," Ochoa said.