Home / POLITICS / The City of El Centro Appoints New Police Chief

The City of El Centro Appoints New Police Chief

El Centro, CA – On April 17, 2018 during the Regular Council Meeting for the City of El Centro Mayor Cheryl Viegas-Walker announced that action had been taken to approve the contract appointing Brian P. Johnson as the new Police Chief for the City of El Centro.

“I am very excited to welcome Brian Johnson as our Chief of Police. We look forward to having Brian be part of the best and brightest Police Department we have. I am confident Chief Johnson will work diligently to mentor our young officers, implement the strategies recommended in our recent comprehensive operational study, and have significant involvement in the development of our new police station” stated Marcela Piedra, City Manager.

Chief Johnson was chosen after a nationwide search through Peckham & McKenney Executive Search. There was a total of fifteen applicants of which four were selected for oral interviews. The City had two interview panels, one consisted of members of the community and the second consisted of City Department Heads. Also, part of the interview panels were Mayor Cheryl Viegas-Walker and Council Member Jason Jackson who were both part of the Public Safety Task Force and six staff members of the Police Department. At the conclusion of the interviews on February 9, 2018, all the members of the interview panels met along with the City Manager to go over the interviews for each applicant and the City Manager picked two of the four applicants and conducted a second interview with them. From this the City Manager made her decision to hire Brian Johnson.

“The City Council is excited to welcome Brian Johnson to El Centro as our Chief of Police. We look forward to Chief Johnson’s leadership of our outstanding Department and his strategic vision in working with the City Council on addressing staffing challenges, implementing programs, and the construction of a new police station” stated Mayor ViegasWalker.

Chief Johnson brings over 29 years of dedicated law enforcement and public service to both the residential and business community of El Centro. During his career in law enforcement, he has established an extensive background in community policing, traffic safety and datadriven crime prevention strategies.

Chief Johnson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California State University Long Beach and a Master’s degree in Behavioral Science from California State University Dominguez Hills. Chief Johnson is also a certified trainer and coach for the John C. Maxwell Team and International Academy of Public Safety / Institute for Credible Leadership Development. Chief Johnson stated, “I am very honored with the opportunity to service along-side the men and women of the El Centro Police Department. The El Centro Police Department has a rich history of providing excellent police service and I am confident we will build on this legacy of developing best practices in law enforcement. I look forward to working with both the residential and business community to collaborate to enhance the quality of life in the City of El Centro.”

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