Deputy Katrena Johnston is the August employee of the month for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office. Johnston is a rookie deputy who graduated from the LCSO Police Academy in October 2017.
She was nominated for the honor by one of her peers who works alongside Johnston on a daily basis and sees the deputy perform a high quality of work, according to a statement from Capt. Ken DeFoor, spokesperson for the department.
“Although Johnston is what one would consider a rookie due to her short time with the agency, she is described as a powerhouse who is always ready to jump in and get her feet wet with any call to service and someone who approaches her assignments with enthusiasm and a willingness to resolve any issue,” DeFoor wrote in the statement.
Johnston currently has her basic peace officer certification but is working toward an intermediate rating by attending as many in-service classes as are possible with her schedule.
Johnston credits a retired Houston Police Officer who happened to be her instructor while taking a police administration class in college for directing her toward a law enforcement career. She said listening to him tell of his experiences while with HPD made her realize that her calling would be in serving the community by becoming a deputy. This feeling has only been reinforced when she responds to a call for service that involves children.
In one particular case to which she was dispatched, she encountered a teenage girl who ran away from home on a weekly basis. Based on how Johnston interacted with the girl, the family called the sheriff’s office and requested that Johnston come to their home to counsel the girl, which Johnston did. This one-on-one encounter seemed to be what the young girl needed as Johnston has not received any return calls about the teen running away again.
Working the night shift patrol division is difficult when there are so few deputies to run the many calls for service that comes in on a nightly basis. Johnston said her wish is to see the LCSO grow in manpower to better address the growing number of calls and related population growth within the county.
When she isn’t at work, Johnston enjoys participating in several Jeep clubs while four-wheeling. She also enjoys fishing.
According to DeFoor, Johnston’s long-term goal is to rise in rank and remain with the sheriff’s office until she can retire in the years to come.