President Richard Beary with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recently appointed Arlington Police Chief Will D. Johnson as the chair of the organization's 2015 Civil Rights Committee. This appointment allows Chief Johnson the opportunity to work with his peers, community leaders, and other professionals to develop best practices for strengthening community relations with police, protecting civil rights of all people, and improving the lines of communication between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The Civil Rights Committee will work to set professional standards for civil rights policy and develop resources for police agencies seeking to implement programs to increase efforts designed to safeguard civil rights.

Throughout his 20-year career in law enforcement, Chief Johnson has remained committed to community policing and procedural justice. Citizen engagement efforts and the way law enforcement interact everyday help shape how police are viewed in the community. The more that citizens trust police, the more they will cooperate and work collaboratively together to solve crimes. Both are established systems that put citizens first and historically lead to successful policing practices. By understanding the best methods of policing in a community, police leaders are better able to identify community needs, concerns, and appropriately address those needs and concerns.

"The vast majority of police officers choose this career because they have a servant's mindset and want to help their community," said Chief Johnson. "By establishing a high level of trust within the community, everyone becomes a part of the overall public safety team which is a win-win situation for law enforcement and for the communities they serve."

"Chief Will Johnson's appointment as Chair of this committee is well earned. With his strong leadership, our community will be well represented. We wish him much success," according to Oscar Macaraeg, President of the Tarrant County Asian American Chamber of Commerce.

"On behalf of Arlington LULAC Council #4353 we congratulate Arlington Police Chief Johnson on his appointment to serve as the Chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Civil Rights Committee. This is great that a home-grown, local police chief has been appointed to serve in this capacity as law enforcement looks for more opportunities to strengthen community relationships," said Luis C. Castillo, President of Arlington League of United Latin American Citizens.

Chief Johnson's term as the IACP Civil Rights Committee Chair will extend through the 2015 IACP Annual Conference and Expo in October.