Local officer takes over Ferguson, Mo., helps to calm crowds

In the days since Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson took charge of a volatile situation that threatened to turn ugly, tragic or both, his calm-yet-commanding presence has captured international attention. But when it comes to keeping the peace in Ferguson, Johnson knows his neighbors’ opinions are what matter most.

The 27-year patrol veteran, who oversees nearly 150 troopers patrolling 11 counties in eastern Missouri, grew up down the road from the neighborhood where 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed Aug. 9. He still lives nearby, in the neighboring town of Florissant. He was placed in charge of Ferguson security by Col. Ron Repogle, the Highway Patrol superintendent, after Gov. Jay Nixon revoked county police oversight Thursday.

Johnson’s impact was immediate. After five nights of volatile and violent protests marked by looting, arson and the use of tear gas on demonstrators by county and local police, Johnson ordered his officers to abandon the body armor and gas masks and instead ensure the public’s right to peaceably assemble.

“He made himself accessible, from a place of peace and understanding,” said Robin Moore-Chambers, a diversity trainer and counseling professor at Lindenwood University who lives in nearby Dellwood. “He’s listening to everybody. He will take you seriously. He’s appealing to their humanity. He knows they need to be heard.”

On Saturday, Johnson was front and center at a volatile news conference with the governor, explaining how a curfew Nixon ordered would be carried out.

“What we’re doing now is not who we are. It’s not who we are. Yelling at each other is not going to solve it,” Johnson calmly told one audience member. “We’re all talking about the same concerns and the same passion. The frustration that’s in your home is in my home.”