2021 Art Rish Employee of the Year Award announcement
March 13, 2022
Chief Terrence Green is pleased to announce that Corporal Grady Johnson was chosen by his peers as the recipient of the 2021 Art Rish Employee of the Year Award.
Corporal Grady Johnson has been with the Lexington Police Department since 2008 and has worked assignments within the Patrol Division, Special Operations Division, and the Criminal Investigations Division. In October of 2019, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal to oversee the Traffic Safety Unit.
With a focus on furthering our ongoing strategic goal of “Improving Traffic Safety” in the Town of Lexington, Corporal Grady Johnson brought leadership and experience to the Traffic Safety Unit where he supervises four officers. He is responsible for planning enforcement campaigns, managing investigations of collisions that involve significant injury or fatality, monitoring collision data and contributing factors that cause wrecks on the Town of Lexington roadways, among other duties.
Corporal Grady Johnson with Chief Terrence Green and Town of Lexington Mayor Steve MacDougall
Understanding that education in traffic safety is a priority, Corporal Grady Johnson provided driving safety presentations to over 100 new drivers throughout last year. He also wrote and assisted in the filming of an educational video for the department called “When the Blue Lights Turn On” to provide guidance on what to do when pulled over on a traffic stop by a police officer. This video has been featured on our website and YouTube channel.
Due to his expertise in driving under the influence enforcement, Corporal Grady Johnson assists the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in standardized field sobriety and drug recognition expert proficiency testing and has worked with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on a series of videos that will be used in alcohol and drugged driving training courses for law enforcement nationwide.
In June 2021, Corporal Grady Johnson was recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving as the 2020 Drug Recognition Expert of the Year which was a significant state-level award that was a first for an officer of the Lexington Police Department.
“Corporal Grady Johnson is a great example of an officer who has taken advantage of every opportunity to better himself through training and in the end, it gives back to the department on many levels.” Chief Terrence Green said. “His leadership within the Traffic Safety Unit and expertise in traffic and DUI enforcement has been significant. This recognition by his fellow officers is proof of his hard work and determination towards excellence in all that he does.”
Corporal Grady Johnson received his bachelor’s degree from Fayetteville State University in Criminal Justice and his master’s degree from the University of Phoenix in Justice and Security Administration. He is a veteran of the United States Army.
