Janet Johnson loves the youth. Being a police officer and building a relationship with local youth is one of the most important things to her.

As an officer with the Selma Police Department for eight years, Johnson said she decided to pursue law enforcement because of the sole purpose of helping others. Johnson serves in the Army Reserves, so law enforcement came naturally for her.

“I’m in the military, so once I came home I decided to further help other people. I decided to

become a police officer,” she said.

She takes a special interest in the youth and it is hard for her when things do not go positively for them.

“The hardest thing for me is watching our young kids fall by the waste side due to no guidance,” she said. “Seeing kids grow up and then fall into the system is hard.”

Johnson said ensuring that children know that police officers are not their enemy is important to her. She makes an effort in proving that point by providing the kids with snacks and constantly telling them that police are their friends and are here to help.

“I pass out snacks to kids. I get a kick out of seeing a smile on their faces,” she said. “I make it my business to make sure I have snacks at all times for the kids.”

Johnson said she will continue to build trust with the community, because when the community does not trust law enforcement it makes it hard for them to do their jobs effectively.