Johnson Selected as Next East Wenatchee Police Chief

The City of East Wenatchee will hire Rick Johnson as its next Chief of Police.

According to a press release Thursday afternoon, Mayor Jerrilea Crawford has mad a conditional offer of employment to Johnson, currently Chief of Patrol at the Chelan County Sheriff's Office. The offer is pending agreement and City Council approval.

Mayor Crawford said the city hopes to have Johnson in place as Chief of Police by June 1st.

Johnson is a Douglas county resident and began his career in law enforcement in 2001, joining the Wenatchee Police Department in 2003. He was involved with a gang unit as well as the Regional SWAT Team. Johnson moved to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office in 2016.

Johnson has a B.S. in Biology from Central Washington University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He also currently serves as the District 9 Representative of the Washington State Tactical Officers Association.

In a statement, Mayor Crawford said, “There were several exceptional candidates for this position. Rick has many years in law enforcement, a solid education, and quality leadership skills. He is well connected with our community and has a passion to serve and be a part of our East Wenatchee team. Rick is the right choice for East Wenatchee.”

Johnson was selected from about 20 applicants evaluated by the consulting firm Prothman. He will replace Interim Police Chief Tom Robbins, who took the job in early January. Former Chief Randy Harrison retired in December of 2019.