Johnson resigns as Lake Region Law Enforcement Center Director

Rob Johnson has resigned from his position as Director of the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center (LEC), effective Aug. 31.

The resignation comes amid the LEC’s ongoing struggle to acquire and train staff capable of handling increased inmate capacity and complying with state regulations.

The Transcript first heard of Johnson’s resignation during the county commission budget hearings on Tuesday, when commissioner Dave Gehrtz told his colleagues about the change.

Johnson told the Transcript Wednesday his reasons for resigning stem primarily from the never-ending struggle of staff retention, and from being excluded from recent discussions and decision making.

“I knew I was stepping into a mess six years ago, and looking back now and still dealing with the same issues ... maybe it’s just time for someone else to give this thing a go and see if they can come in with a little different perspective and hopefully steer this place in the right direction.”

The LEC has long struggled with staff levels, and in August of last year, the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation issued the jail an order of non-compliance, after it failed to meet standards during an inspection that summer.

Most of the failed standards related to lack of trained staff, and the jail was ordered to decrease their inmate population to no more than 50 for at least 90 days - down from consistently managing over 90 inmates.

Nearly a year later, Johnson said the LEC chose to further downgrade itself to a Grade 3 facility on July 1, making it incapable of handling inmates for more than 96 hours.

The reason for the self-imposed downgrade, he said, was to make it possible to operate with just two line staff, while other staff complete their training.

Training and maintaining staff levels aren't isolated to the LEC. County jails throughout the state are struggling to meet demand, and it’s having an impact on sentencing decisions, including for residents of Eddy County.

There is some short-term hope for the LEC, however, which has historically been the primary location for Eddy County inmates.

According to Johnson, a number of staff, who have worked at the LEC previously, will be returning in the coming weeks, potentially bolstering the number of staff in the jail to 14.

However, Johnson also believes he’s seen this cycle unfold before.

“I’ll be honest ... it’s the same step and the same cycle that we’ve been in,” he said. “A good number of these individuals coming back are going to be people that ... for one reason or another didn’t make it or didn’t stick around. I just see that cycle continuing.”

Nevertheless, Johnson still believes the LEC will find a way to stay afloat, if only out of necessity.

“[The LEC] has to be here,” he said. “The LEC is going to survive. How it’s going to do that, I'm not sure, but that’s part of the reason for my decision, because I don’t know how to fix this.”

It’s a decision Johnson said was easily the toughest he’s ever made.

Since first joining the LEC as a corrections officer in March of 2002, he has steadily risen the ranks within the jail, until eventually taking over as director in August of 2016.

Before circumstances changed, Johnson said he envisioned retiring from the jail after another 19 or 20 years. Instead, he’s moving on to pursue other opportunities, but wishes nothing but the best for the place he’s dedicated most of his adult life.

“I love what I do, I love where I work and I love the people I work with,” he said. “Unfortunately, with the circumstances and the environment that we’re in these days, I just don’t feel there’s opportunity for success.”

Since announcing his retirement, Johnson said he’s had a number of opportunities open up, and even expressed some interest in running for the vacant seat on the Ramsey County Commission.

Once Johnson leaves the LEC, Ramsey County Sheriff, Steve Nelson is slated to take over if the LEC board hasn’t hired a new director.