RICHMOND, Calif. (KRON) — As Black History Month is celebrated, the story of Richmond’s first Black police captain, Arthur Johnson, serves as a reminder of the progress made in law enforcement leadership. Black officers like Johnson worked their way up the ranks, paving the way for future generations to hold leadership positions in law enforcement.

“In the community, I wasn’t Officer Johnson, I was Art,” Johnson said.

That sentiment is fitting for an avid fisherman and well-traveled golfer, whose true artistry was in carrying out the law with compassion.

“I tried to show by my action that you could be a cop and be a Black man also,” Johnson said.

And he did it in style. Early in his career, the retired captain continued instructing dance and earning money as a model on runways, all while patrolling the streets for the Richmond Police Department.

“He’d stop and keep his eyes on the ladies and boy would they yell,” wife Laura Johnson recalled with a smile.

The couple is celebrating 50 years of marriage this year — about as long as it has been since they first met in a dance studio. Together, they raised two daughters in Richmond and are deeply proud of their eight grandchildren.

“It’s been a wonderful, loving partnership,” Laura Johnson said.

Arthur Johnson retired in 1992 as interim chief of the Richmond Police Department, becoming the agency’s first African American captain along the way.

“During my career, I was very fortunate to be a Black man with a job — not a job that Black men had,” Johnson said.

Before joining the police force in 1967, Johnson served in the U.S. Air Force.

“Many times they figure, to be a cop, you’ve got to be brutal and indifferent. Well, I was a cop. I was a Black man. I was a dance instructor. I was a model. I sang in church,” Johnson said. “So I was a cop, a Black man that had the job as a police officer. But I didn’t lose my identity.”

He remained true to that throughout his decades in public safety.

“At that time, there was a lot of brutality going on, and we wanted it stopped,” Johnson said.

In 1969, he and a group of nine Black officers successfully sued the city of Richmond and its police department—not for financial compensation, but for fair treatment.

“We were looking for better treatment for minorities in our community, and we got it,” Johnson said.

The officers stood up when their voices were ignored, reporting abuses by their white counterparts to leadership.

“What people don’t realize is that as a public servant, you are paid by the community. So you treat your bosses with respect,” Johnson said.

From there, Johnson and more Black officers continued to rise through the ranks. He helped found the Richmond Police Activities League and still serves on its board of directors. Two years ago, the organization’s technology center was named in his honor.

“I was shocked because I do what I do, not because I want notoriety, but because I love people and kids,” Johnson said.

The Johnson family is deeply rooted in the congregation at Saint John Missionary Baptist Church of Richmond.

“I’m a child of God. That’s very important to me,” Johnson said.

Law enforcement is also part of the family’s legacy. Johnson’s two late brothers were sergeants in the police department. His daughter, Shauna Morris, is a bail bondsman and former bounty hunter, while one of Morris’ granddaughters is a correctional officer at San Quentin State Prison and another is a forensic scientist.

“It’s amazing to just say, ‘You know, he’s my dad,’” Morris said.

Though Johnson was Richmond’s first Black police captain, he was not the last. His motto has always been, “Each one, teach one, and he’s done just that,” said Morris.

Johnson hopes more young Black people follow in his footsteps and choose a career in public safety.

For Johnson, Richmond will always be home. “Richmond was a location that I grew up in and grew up with, and now I’m living in it, retiring in it and enjoying it,” he said. “If I did it, you can do it.”