The Town of Webb Board unanimously appointed Ron Johnston, as Town of Webb Police Chief, at a meeting held on Tuesday, December 16.
Johnston is currently a Senior Deputy Sheriff for Otsego County.
He will begin with the Town of Webb on January 12, 2015.
Town Supervisor Ted Riehle said the board was pleased with the number and quality of applicants it had to choose from.
“We are very comfortable moving forward with Ron. We feel he is very well qualified to run our local department. He has over twenty years of law enforcement experience,” he said.
Currently Johnston works in a department that is familiar with tourist operations and seasons, and he understands the impacts they can have on a community, according to Riehle.
He has a number of New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services certifications. He also has New York State Parks and Recreation certifications.
He has served as supervisor for Otsego County’s Marine and Recreation division for over twelve years.
Johnston was selected by the County Sheriff to be on the Department’s New York State Accreditation Team.
This led ultimately to the successful accreditation of Otsego County’s three law enforcment divisions in 2012.
Johnston is also Otsego County’s Stop DWI coordinator.
He is a New York State Police instructor, a New York State boat instructor and is certified in snowmobile and marine law.
Johnston started his law enforcement career in the ’90s, working a snowmobile patrol in Vail, Colorado.
He was employed by Beaver Creek Metro Public Safety.
“I worked as a safety officer, medic, firefighter and police officer all-in-one,” Johnston said.
“As a medic, [I] was affiliated with the United States Secret Service working with former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford,” he said.
Johnston worked in the Chenango County Sheriff’s office in Norwich for a short time prior to his current job in Otsego County.
He has been with the Otsego County Sheriff’s Department for sixteen years.
Johnston grew up in Morris, NY, where his family owns a funeral home. “I grew up in that funeral home,” he said.
His wife, Michelle, is a doctor who owns and operates Adirondack Pain Management, in Utica. She also runs the anesthesiology department at the St. Luke’s Birthing Center in Utica.
The couple has two daughters, Ashley, a senior at Mount Markham High School, and Brittany, an eight grader.
“We promised Ashley she could graduate at Mount Markham before we decided to move up north,” he said.
The Johnstons have a residence in Eagle Bay, which will eventually become their full time home. Ron is a member of the Eagle Bay Fire Department.
“We all ski at McCauley Mountain in the winter and enjoy being out in our boat in the summer. I also like to snowmobile. I think we will definitely fit in up here,” he said.
He also mentioned that one of his hobbies is restoring old Jeeps, some which have been entered in the car show every year in Old Forge.
He said he has wanted to relocate to the Webb area for many years. “I sent letters of interest to then-Chief of Police Bob Dibble about twenty years ago,” he said.
Johnston said he looks forward to meeting the community members and he says his door is always open.
“Communication is the key to success. I’d like the community to know they can contact me at any time, for any reason,” he said.
“The Town of Webb Police Department has a lot of great officers; I really look forward to working with them,” he said.