Chris Johnson is retiring as Waverly Police Chief

After 28 years in law enforcement, Chris Johnson has retired after three years as chief of police in Waverly.

Johnson was hired in Waverly in 2020 after 25 years with the Jacksonville Police Department.

“I was really happy with my career and my time at Waverly,” Johnson said. “The people in the community are great. I want to thank the city of Waverly and the community for accepting me as their chief and one of their own.”

Although he’s retired from law enforcement, Johnson isn’t done with the job yet.

As of Monday, he accepted a job with the city of Jacksonville as an officer of a different kind – code enforcement.

He said he plans to bring many skills to the role.

“The most important thing is to give people the opportunity to express their frustrations and then find solutions to the problems that work best for everyone involved,” Johnson said.

Johnson said moving to the new job was a difficult decision, but said he wanted to be closer to home and have more time with his family.

The position is closer to home without having to commute an hour or so to work each day.

“At some point, your mind and body will realize that your need for time at home with family exceeds what you feel you can contribute as an officer,” Johnson said.

Although he said his role in law enforcement was always supported by his family, he wanted to be home more and not be constantly on call.

“They only knew me as a police officer and I think that was harder on them than it was on me,” Johnson said. “They call me the ‘weed police,’ which I think gives them a touch of the old and a touch of the new.”

Johnson said he is looking forward to the next chapter of his life.

“I’m really happy with my career as a police officer,” Johnson said. “Some people are afraid of change, I’m not one of them. I think it’s time for me to begin the transition to civilian life.”

Waverly hasn’t hired a new boss. Johnson said the council will be interviewing for a new chief and he hopes they find a good candidate.

“Hopefully they find someone good because the community is really full of great people,” Johnson said.