A 5-0 vote of the Ceres City Council last week resulted in interim Police Chief Trenton Johnson becoming the official police chief.

Johnson was elated to have the full confidence of the council and vowed to get to work immediately on pressing matters facing his department. Hiring new officers to fill vacant positions remains a priority.

“Wow, a 5-0 vote – that made my day,” said the new chief upon his confirmation. “I look forward to serving our community. I live here. The problems that they brought up today are my problems too. And I wouldn’t be here without the support of my department and the men and women in the Ceres Police Department, they are behind me, and I couldn’t be prouder of that.”

Johnson has been interim police chief since the sudden departure of Chief Chris Perry. Perry became police chief in January 2024 to succeed Rick Collins but was placed on administrative leave on Jan. 28 this year. City Manager Doug Dunford has not disclosed what led to Perry’s departure, citing that it was a personnel matter, but said that Perry had decided to retire as of Feb. 4.

“He has accomplished more in his short time here than we did a complete year in the past,” Dunford said of Johnson. “He’s actually a breath of fresh air. He has very progressive thinking, has a vision and I think he’s going to benefit the police department in the city of Ceres tremendously. 

Johnson was officially sworn into office privately yesterday but a public swearing-in ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 31 at the Ceres Community Center.

Johnson began his law enforcement career as a Ceres Police explorer scout in 1993, and a reserve officer in January 1998. Later that year in August he was hired as a fulltime sworn officer. Johnson worked in detectives, as a SWAT member for 20 years and as a Field Training Officer (FTO), became a sergeant in June 2008 and worked as watch commander, SCU sergeant and detective sergeant. In January, 2023 he was promoted to lieutenant in charge of detectives, code enforcement, SWAT team, Drone Team, Crisis Negotiation Team, Property and Evidence and the armory. Johnson was promoted to rank of captain on March 17, 2024. 

His wife is dispatch center supervisor Tammie Johnson.

Former Ceres Police Lt. Mike Borges, who was in attendance at the June 23 council meeting, applauded the decision to put Johnson in charge.

“I am somewhat biased since I’ve known this young man when he started with the police department as a reserve officer, and I was employed here, and I’ve watched him grow in his career to the point where he is now, and the leadership that he has displayed during that growth,” said Borges. “He’s had his hiccups in his career, but one thing about him is he’ll take responsibility for his actions, and he’ll move forward and learn from them. And I believe that appointing him not only saves you money from having to do a recruitment, which is tight, but you’re also picking the right person for the job.”

Councilwoman Cerina Otero lauded Johnson as a “genuine and humble person.”

“Just the way you deliver yourself in public, the way that you communicate – the communication’s been awesome, every update has been amazing,” Otero told Johnson. “You’re quick with text message or an email, and that is really helpful to our community. So I want to thank you for the hard work that you do and the challenges that you’re willing to face.”

Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra told Johnson: “I know you were very hesitant to accept this position initially, but I know your force has been behind you. Everyone I’ve talked to has been very supportive and talked very highly of you, including members of the Modesto Police Department who also approached me and kind of told me that I better make sure you become chief.”

Mayor Javier Lopez said he was proud to support Johnson, saying, “Not only have you really shown me that how much you care about this community, but how much you’ve rallied at the troops.”

Vice Mayor Daniel Martinez has observed Johnson’s efforts to attend community events. “Even in your off time you showed up and I think one of the biggest things is the support for your officers behind you, how quickly they all came together for you. So I just want to let you know that I appreciate that. I appreciate the effort you put in from lieutenant all the way up. So it’s very impressive, your commitment, and this is very well-deserved, especially since you’re a hometown officer. No disrespect to Chief Collins and Perry but you might be the biggest, strongest chief the city’s ever had.” 

Councilman James Casey told Johnson to keep doing a great job for Ceres.