Plano has always been home for Jaquay Johnson, who is now a Probationary Police Officer for the City of Plano and was sworn in on January 22, 2014. Officer Johnson was born and raised in Plano and attended Plano schools and places a great emphasis on continuing to be a part of the community. She stated being a Police Officer provides her a wonderful opportunity to give back to the community that she loves.
Having received a strong work ethic from her father, Officer Johnson started her first job at the age of 15-16 years old at Drug Emporium in Plano after school. Upon graduating high school, she worked at MedQuest, AAA of Texas, and was employed by Brink’s Home Security for 16 years before deciding to pursue a career in law enforcement.
Johnson attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Collin College before enrolling in the University of North Texas where she earned her Bachelor’s in Science degree and later her Master’s in Science degree.
Officer Johnson is the first Police Officer in her family. After expressing an interest in the law enforcement profession, she attended the 1st Annual “Women in Law Enforcement” career event in 2012. Johnson stated “the conference was helpful. In fact is allows other women to see female officers in various roles.” Johnson also expressed that it was her perception that females were welcomed at the Plano Police Department as opposed to being considered a burden. The “Women in Law Enforcement” conference takes place this year on May 10, 2014 at the Plano/Richardson Police Training Center located at 4912 14th Street in Plano, Texas. This is a free event where the department reaches out to women who might be considering a career in not only law enforcement, but also other careers within the Police Department. Women from various units will be on hand to provide information about what it is like to be a female in the law enforcement profession. For more information about the conference, contact our Professional Standards Unit at 972-941-2436 or toll free at 1-866-485-7777.
Officer Johnson stated that her experience has been unbelievable. She took part in the mentoring program that is offered which allows recruits and newly appointed officers the opportunity to become acquainted with the department. This program reduces the pressures and stresses that are commonly associated with new officers and allows them to speak to people openly about things in an effort to enhance their success. These mentors “take an interest in your progress” says Johnson. She added by saying “as a woman, I don’t feel there is a double standard of treatment for men versus women and from my point of view, racial diversity is welcomed just as much.”
The City of Plano is a very diverse community. Currently, the Plano Police Department employs 348 Police Officers. Twenty-eight percent of those officers with the Plano Police Department are minority and females make up twelve percent of Police Officers. Both of those are numbers they would like to increase. “The Plano Police Department is a dynamic and progressive organization poised to continue our efforts to mirror the cultural and racial diversity within our community” stated Plano Police Chief Gregory W. Rushin. He added by saying “diversity is something we feel is very important because we depend on the support and assistance from our community. Working in partnership with our community is not only an important part of our mission statement, it is our true belief that is what makes us the safe city we are today.”
The Department takes pride in its’ operational approach to inclusive policing that not only engages citizens, but also involves them in our efforts to police in an unbiased manner that consistently represents everyone in our community. We remain transparent in our policies, procedures and practices in order to maintain and build trust with our diverse citizenry. We recognize that our work in reducing disparity is never complete and we commit to those actions that contribute to all members of our community being treated with dignity, respect, equal protection, and representation. We must challenge ourselves to keep the issue of cultural and racial disparities in front of us as we continue to police in our free society. It is what we expect of ourselves and what is expected of us.
