Newport’s acting police chief might be same as the old chief

Retired Police Chief Jay Johnson could be back on the Newport Beach payroll temporarily if the City Council approves a contract Tuesday night.

Johnson, 50, officially retired in late December but offered to stay on as acting chief for the first several months of 2016 while the city selects his replacement.

The draft agreement would guarantee Johnson hourly pay of $111.03 for his time as interim chief, if the council approves. Johnson could work a maximum of 960 hours annually, the contract states.

The city would not be responsible for the cost of Johnson’s medical benefits and would not contribute further to his retirement, according to the contract.

The city charter requires officials to open the position to candidates both inside and outside the Police Department.

City Manager Dave Kiff, who ultimately will choose the next chief, said the process will take at least two months and possibly up to six months.

“I considered naming one or more of the current Police Department leadership team members as interim chief, but some are likely to be candidates for the top job,” Kiff said. “For fairness, it makes a lot more sense to have Jay come back.”

Deputy Chief Dave McGill, who oversees detectives, and Deputy Chief Jon Lewis, who heads operations, have expressed interest in the top job.

“If I had my way, it would be one of those two deputy chiefs,” Johnson said.

If Johnson returns as chief, even temporarily, he would have to do something he hasn’t done since his last day on the force — shave.

During his appearance at the Chamber of Commerce’s Wake Up Newport forum Thursday morning, which focused on crime statistics and other public safety issues, Johnson took a few minutes to discuss the chief recruitment process and poke fun at his new beard.

He explained that police officers are required to shave every day, so when he announced that he was leaving his post to spend more time with his family, he decided to see how he looked with facial hair.

“My wife and mother both tell me it does not look good,” he said with a laugh. “So I’ll get rid of it next week.”

Johnson began his tenure as Newport Beach’s ninth police chief in June 2010.

Before that, he was a commander in the Long Beach Police Department, where he spent most of his career. In his later years there, he oversaw the city’s South Division, which included the downtown and harbor areas.

During Johnson’s time in Newport Beach, the city saw record low crime rates in 2013 and 2014.

However, in 2015, crime levels began creeping up for the first time in about a decade. Johnson attributed the increase to legislation including the state’s prison realignment plan in 2011, which aims to move some offenders from state prisons to county jails; Proposition 36 in 2012, which relaxed the state’s three-strikes law; and Proposition 47 in 2014, which reclassified many low-level felonies as misdemeanors that carry lesser penalties.

Despite the uptick, crime is still below Newport’s five-year average, Johnson said.

“You are safer in Newport Beach today than you were 30 or 40 years ago,” he said.