A captain in the Missouri highway patrol catapulted to local fame on Thursday after he and officers under his command rolled into Ferguson to take over the security for local protests.
Gov. Jay Nixon ordered Capt. Ron Johnson and the patrol to take the reins from a St. Louis County police force that had responded to protesters this week by wielding assault rifles, firing tear gas and patrolling the streets in military-style vehicles. Unrest in Ferguson began after Darren Wilson, a local police officer, shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed, on Aug. 9.
Photos taken during the six days of demonstrations -- the most violent night was on Wednesday when police fired smoke grenades and tear gas into a crowd -- of standoffs between police and citizens in Ferguson often seemed eerily similar to war zone photography.
Then, almost from the moment Johnson and the highway patrol arrived on Thursday, the situation mellowed. Gone were police dressed in camouflage in riot gear, strapped with heavy weaponry with armored tanks feet away. In their place were police dressed in standard uniforms, walking on foot with protesters.
"I've got a dog in this fight, I've got a BIG dog in this fight," Capt. Ron Johnson, leads tone shift in #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/tmH7UdPv6O— Pat McGonigle KSDK (@PatMcGonigleNBC) August 15, 2014
Johnson, a native of the St. Louis area, vowed that there would be a change in the protests' tone.
"I grew up here, and this is clearly my community and my home. Therefore, this means a lot to me personally," Johnson said. "I understand the anger and fear that the citizens of Ferguson are feeling, and I understand and respect both of those."
Once he arrived, Johnson even marched alongside protesters.
MSHP Capt Ron Johnson meeting with protestors as he said he would. Loud cheer when "new police " is announced. pic.twitter.com/o1AmzW24GP— Cory Stark (@CoryStarkKMOV) August 14, 2014
He took questions from protesters and, judging by the photos, seemed comfortable amidst crowds of people who may have been calmer than in days past, but still wanted answers to the details surrounding Brown's death.
In pictures: #Ferguson protests calm as Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson takes over security http://t.co/FqSeiv9ZdO pic.twitter.com/H9R1g3woic— Raúl (@Soleimani9) August 15, 2014
Forget @GovJayNixon & Mayor Knowles. #Ferguson has a new leader: Capt Ron Johnson restoring peace & hope pic.twitter.com/ZCpIUpIudz— mia farrow (@MiaFarrow) August 15, 2014
"This is my community," Johnson said, according to ABC. "A lot of people I saw walking in this march are people that I know. So the old saying, 'I've got a dog in this fight,' [is true]. I’ve got a big dog in this fight."
Johnson has been with the Missouri State Highway Patrol for 26 years, and he's spent the last 12 leading the troop responsible for the 11-county region surrounding St. Louis, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The captain, whose father-in-law was a deputy police chief in the St. Louis city police department, has spent all but three years at the highway patrol as a part of the St. Louis-area troop.
Johnson is normally headquartered in St. Charles County, where he commands more than 300 employees.
“We’re gonna start from today,” Johnson said, according to a local Fox station. "We are going to have a different approach and have the approach that we’re in this together.”