PITTSBORO — The police department has a new chief: Pittsboro native Clarence “Shorty” Johnson Jr., who inherits the position at a pivotal juncture in the department’s history.
Johnson, 49, was officially sworn in last Monday at a meeting of the board of commissioners. He had already been serving as interim chief for more than six months following the retirement of Chief Percy Crutchfield in March.
“I think Shorty has done a great job as interim,” said Town Manager Chris Kennedy, who was tasked with hiring Crutchfield’s replacement. “I think the decision for me was looking at someone in this very critical time in Pittsboro, and Chatham County, and North Carolina and the country at large, and finding a very reliable, strong, but compassionate leader to look over our police force.”
It has been an unusual year for police departments across the nation as they navigate a global pandemic and calls for law enforcement reform in the wake of several nationally decried wrongful deaths at police hands.
“It’s been a real strange year for all of us,” Johnson said, “with the pandemic and race relations. Law enforcement all over the country has had to reevaluate their policies and procedures and how we do things to make sure that we’re treating people fairly. I think we’re doing a great job here in Pittsboro and Chatham County as a whole. But are there things that we can improve on? Sure.”
While Pittsboro has seen fewer protests and rallies in recent months than neighboring Raleigh and Durham, the small downtown has still been host to several confrontations. Johnson was not aware of any planned events to follow election day, he said, but his department is gearing up to address potential issues.
“Our response is to try to be hands off as much as we can,” he said. “We want both sides to come out and be able to express their constitutional rights to protest or have their say on whatever side they’re for or against. But we try to do our best to make sure everyone is safe.”
Johnson hopes things will not escalate to the point of violence, but if they do, his officers will intervene as they have at prior protests gone bad.
“It was definitely stressful,” he said, “for us as law enforcement and also for the community at large. Unfortunately, we did have to make a few arrests. But still, we tried to let people have their say, and not get involved if we didn’t have to.”
Johnson’s wariness over potential police misconduct is evidenced in the reform program he began as interim chief which he plans to continue in his permanent role as head of the department.
“We’re right now going through our entire policy and procedure manual,” Johnson said. “We’ve gone in and we’re adding — you know, a big thing now — de-escalation techniques ... And we’re trying to get our guys lined up to take some training classes. But it’s hard right now finding classes because of the pandemic.”
Navigating the coronavirus pandemic and responding to calls for reform create a troubling conundrum for police departments. To address law enforcement response techniques and educate officers effectively, departments must hold training sessions. But in-person instruction is frowned upon while the threat of spreading the coronavirus still looms. Johnson is trying his best to strike a balance, but there can be no ideal solution while the pandemic continues.
“We’re trying to do some things online,” Johnson said. “And then, like I said, when classes and training open fully back up, we’ll get our guys in there. We’re trying to make our officers better all the time, but it’s just tough.”
Right now, Pittsboro’s department has 14 total police officers: 10 patrol officers, a community police officer who doubles as a domestic abuse specialist, a detective, a captain and Johnson. In January, he plans to hire one more officer, but Pittsboro faces the same staffing difficulties that all law enforcement agencies have contended with for years.
“It’s been tough for several years now finding people,” Johnson said. “You know, people aren’t applying to want to go into law enforcement. A lot has changed since I went into law enforcement in ’94.”
Back then, it was police work’s noble mission that attracted Johnson. He was not originally destined for a career in law enforcement; in fact, when he first attended Appalachian State in the early 1990s, Johnson intended to pursue a business degree.
“But I started working down at Jordan Lake part-time as a seasonal (worker) and the park rangers were law enforcement officers, or law enforcement-certified,” Johnson said. “I got to talking with them, and I thought that I would be good as a law enforcement officer … It was about, basically, just trying to resolve issues that come up — just listening to people and trying to find the best solution you can. So, that just seemed like a good fit.”
From the beginning, Johnson knew he wanted to make his way back home to Pittsboro, where he was born and raised. His mother worked in the poultry industry before moving into education and his father operated a country store.
(Johnson said his father and namesake was always smaller than the other kids in school. But Johnson stands 5-foot-11 or 6-foot, “depending on what heels I got on my shoes,” he said. “So, that’s always kind of been the joke: ‘How in the world did you get that name? You’re not all that short.’”)
After graduating from App State with a B.S. in criminal justice, Johnson started his career with the Chatham County Sheriff’s office before moving to Siler City’s police department in 2003. After 12 years, he finally made his transition to Pittsboro’s department where he worked as a detective before his recent promotion.
But most young people, according to Johnson, are not attracted to small-town police work even when they have general interest in law enforcement. They are discouraged by few opportunities for advancement and mobility.
“We do have a tough time trying to get applicants here,” he said, “and I think one of the reasons is just the nature of law enforcement itself. It’s tough being a small department because, if you had a bigger department, you would have more growth inside of that department where it would open up more opportunities. It’s tough getting (potential applicants) to buy in that you are a good department. Even though you don’t have a lot of opportunities, you can start work here and move your way up and have a successful career.”
Pittsboro may have limited opportunities now, but under Johnson’s leadership, the department is likely to undergo tremendous growth. As aggressive development continues across town, especially with the ongoing Chatham Park project, police staff will have to expand to meet the demands of a swelling population.
“At one time I heard that when Chatham Park would officially be built, the department would need to be between 140 and 160 officers, or employees,” Johnson said. “That’s just hard for me to fathom right now … Unfortunately, we probably will play catch up for a little bit. But hopefully we’ll be able to meet the need and grow accordingly.”
Kennedy, in his role as town manager, is similarly bracing for a meteoric spike in population. The police department will be essential in maintaining Pittsboro’s high standard of living, and Kennedy is confident that Johnson is the right man for the job.
“I’ve had a lot of good feedback, so far, about Shorty being appointed to that position,” he said. “And so, we’re excited to have him with the interim tag removed and for he and I to work together on a lot of good things to make the Pittsboro police department — in conjunction with the town operation — a great community asset.”
Reporter D. Lars Dolder can be reached at dldolder@chathamnr.com.