Larry received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI, and a master’s degree in Police Administration, at Ferris State University. Has started work on a doctoral degree. Attended and graduated from Moody Bible College and has attended Harvard University where he successful participated and received several certificates in Leadership and urban school turn-around. He is also a Graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy, 218 session.

Larry is a former Benton Harbor MI., Lansing MI, and Grand Rapids MI., Police Officer. He was also a police Sergeant with the Grand Rapids Police Department for seven years. While working for the Grand Rapids Police Department, Larry worked in the Departments Vice Unit, Recruiting and Training Unit, and was the supervisor of the Gang Intelligence and Special Response Team (SWAT).

Throughout his professional career, Larry has received over 75 police commendation letters for his actions, including the Grand Rapids Police most prestigious award, the Meritorious Service Award, for his actions in December of 1995, while involved in an undercover drug operation.

Larry Johnson was appointed Director of Public Safety & School Security of the Grand Rapids Public Schools on August 15, 1997. He inherited a department of 5 special police officers and 30 security officers. The department had been created in the early 70’s when school administrators anticipated the need for security services at the height of desegregation.

Today, Larry is responsible for departments that consist of 9 special (sworn) police officers and 40 security officers. He oversees school safety and security issues, including emergency response and crisis management, bomb threats and safety and security training for teachers, administrators, and support staff. He developed the School Safety Leadership Academy for school administrators. A sixteen-hour course primarily for new and returning school administrators. He also developed and implemented the only school safety course for non-sworn officers int eh State of Michigan.

Larry has attended the United States Secret Services, National Threat Assessment Program. Larry was one of twenty-four individuals in the nation to attend the inaugural program, which is aimed at reducing the amount of targeted school violence in our nation schools. The program has since been implemented throughout the nation as one of the premier threat assessment programs in the world for K-12 institutions.

He has also participated on several federal government focus groups aimed at reducing school threats and violence in our nation’s schools.

Larry has written several articles that have been published nationally, on the issue of school safety and security. He has his written over 100 training programs that are being utilized around the country by several school districts. Larry spends hundreds of hours studying and researching the causes of violence in schools and is completing his research to write a book on the causes of violence and disruption in schools. Larry has provided classroom instructions for more than 20,000 educators and public safety officials from around the world. He has extensive instructional experiences relating to reducing school violence, reducing school weapons incidents, safe school planning, school crisis response, media relations, community policing, and weapons interdiction and detection, threat assessment and critical incident stress debriefing.

Currently, Larry is preparing to teach a series of school safety seminars for the Grand Rapids Public Schools on keeping weapons out of schools. Larry has participated on advisory panels for the Michigan State Police, Division of Homeland Security for Schools, He currently sits on the Governors safe school task forces and the Governors School Safety Commission.

He has traveled throughout the nation and abroad to participate in national training conferences as well as speak on school safety issues. He has also served as a consultant to several school districts on school safety issues, and is the president of the Safe K12 Group, which is a school security consulting company. Larry is the Past President of the National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement officials (NASSLEO) and currently servicing as the President Elect of the organization making him the only person in the 53 years history of the organization to be serve in the seat twice.

Larry is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, Grand Rapids Alumni Chapter, and is the Vice President of the West Michigan Police Chiefs Association and sits on the Michigan State University school safety advisory committee, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police’s Environmental Crimes, and Private Security Liaison Committees, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Silent Observers, as well as many other professional organizations and boards.

Current Family Life:

Larry is a member and Elder at Life Quest Church in Grand Rapids. Has been the part of several church plants in the community, and at one time helped to negotiate church splits in two states. Most days I can be found working or volunteering in a local school almost everyday of the week.

Larry has been married to Christina Johnson for forty-years, and is the proud father of three children, and five grandchildren.