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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1990)
Pages The INDEPENDENT, July 27, 1990 Veteran police officer joins city force "Things sure started out with a bang “ police otticer Jim "Bumper" Johnson said ot his first shit, on the Vernonia Police Department That was was expected, however be cause his first shift in Vernon ia was the nigh, of July fourth, during the annual fireworks display A big man, with a twinkle in his eye and a warm smile. Johnson is always ready to break ou, a little humor The thirty year veteran law enforcement officer seems to genuinely like people and ad mits tha, he likes the cama radorie of small towns, though his first 18 years of experi ence were in mostly urban Santa Clara County Cali,or ma Johnson grew up in Los Gatos, jus, a stone's throw away from the county sea, in San Jose, and he wen, to work for the sheriffs depart men, there I, was also there, in his firs, day on the job. tha, he was named "Bumper" by a fellow officer The nickname referred to the role o, Bumper Morgan, played by William Holden in The Blue Kmgh, Johnson says he still doesn't know why he go, lagged with the name unless i, was because o, his gray hair (H e's been gray since he was 18 or 19), bu, it stayed with him Johnson was a Detective Sergeant in Santa C lara County where he started and headed the crime prevention unit bu, the desire to ge, out of the city go, to him so he moved to Oregon Jim "Bum per" Johnson After 8 months running a sandwich shop he says "The bug got to me so I joined the sheriff's office " in Lane Coun ty During his time there he spent about a year and a half as a contract police officer in Veneta a job he liked very much While in Veneta he started a bicycle safety pro gram and acted as liaison for the "Neighborhood Watch" program When the budge, crunch hi, in Lane County, he was trans ,erred to the jail a )0b tha, didn't really sui, him, so he "retired " Johnson, now 54 had COLUMBIA RIVER HONDA/SUZUKI/POLARIS , Sales - Parts - Service M&M planned to start his own pri vate investigation business, bu, decided his retirem ent pension wasn't sufficient so he un retired This tim e he said he looked for a )0b in a small town and ended up in Ver noma where he'd like to start a Neighborhood Watch pro gram Johnson's wife Nancy is a hairdresser and a "crafts" per son She is rem a ining in Lane County until they can sell their home there bu, they plan to move to Vernonia he says They have six grown children Enjoy Sweet Success! CUSTOM MEAT CURING Retail Store Smokehouse Don Bruers 1981 Mist Drive Vernonia, OR 97046 PMC* MIX •*^«(503)429-7201 MOBILE SLAUGHTER UNIT $15 B eef-$20 Pork Cut & Wrapped 25c Lb. All Gam e Processed - W e Make Sausage Open 7 Days, Mon-Sat 9-6. Sun 12-5 Hiway 20 Bet. R ain ier & Clatskanie at Alston Corner 24 H o u r Tow ing r .Auto & tru c k Paris Gasoline Alley Auto Wrecking Thb b tm h the cask - m and faMcM 'r ilin g pmdact in K itw rki. A high fiber n«(kK lor Ip p rtiir ( onlrot' For in fo m u liu n a H oui how to * rll And usr ih h pm dm l V n d S100 for a i or. Fiber ( L i" k ( <»>kir and j Bn» hurr 556-2505 MEAT Co. 429-7581 324-2071 l . d w a r d R . B ir o s ( losed Sundays 6 M iles South of V ernonia oil H w y. 47 54372 \e h a le in Hwy. S., Vernonia, O K 97064 LEW’S PLACE DANCE »" », RHYTHMS WILD WEEKEND ^.Jamboree Friday & Saturday,?. Law n M ow ers Law n Tractors T illers G enerators M otorcycles ATVs - Scooters Personal W atercraft Outboard M otors 397-3502 Tues-Sat9-6 - Closed Sun-Mon 5 8 2 4 5 C olum bia R iver Hwy., St. H elens Enjoy the Music of DICK BERRY at the PIANO BAR Sunday. August 5, 3-7 pm sy0.9° Your Hosts. Pat & D arlene Knight Banquet & Luncheon Service Available Call 429-3751 for Information 934 Bridge Street. Vernonia, Oregon 97064
