LAW ENFORCEMENT – Chief Rachel Johnson takes the helm of Manhattan Beach Police Department
by Mark McDermott Retired Laguna Beach Police Department Captain Jason Kravetz remembers the day 10 years ago when he first encountered Rachel Johnson. At the time, Johnson was a relatively young officer with the Newport Beach Beach Police Department. Kravitz was part of a testing panel Johnson had to face for promotion to sergeant. Such panels are typically comprised of leadership officers from several agencies, to remove bias within a single police department. And those tests are rigorous, probing every aspect of a police officer’s skills, and character make-up to ensure the candidate has true leadership capabilities. They include psychological tests, role-playing exercises, and interviews. Her performance stunned Kravetz. Johnson was somehow both imperturbable yet exceptionally warm and personable, as if she was the one doing the interviewing, not the other way around. She was commanding, but in a natural, engaging way. “When she was done, I found a moment to pull her aside,” Kravetz recalled. “And I told her I was going to steal her someday and take her to Laguna. The good news is I followed through on my word.” Johnson was hired as a captain by Laguna Beach early in 2020…
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