Cedar Raoids Gazette/July 18,1990 7E
Cedar Rapids Gazette/July 18,1990 3E
Discipline learned in military helped him in career
By Lonnie Zfngula
ow does a person become
the.longest standing mem­
ber of the Cedar Rapids
Police Department — with 38
plus years —missing only five
days of work while enduring a
police corruption probe and a
nepotism charge among the nor­
mal daily rigors of law enforce­
ment?
Discipline.
That single character trait,
gained during a three-year Army
stint under Gen. George S. Patton
is what retired Assistant Police
Chief Wallace Johnson attributes
his career that, at times, was
marked with controversy.
It is also a trait Wallace has
seen less and less of in others as
his career progressed.
"You can tell that some of them
(officers) who come on now have
never been in the military and
have never had much discipline
in their lives," he says. "But,
hopefully, they'll learn in a hurry
because this is a profession
where you have to have a lot of
discipline."
Perhaps no one knows that bet­
ter than Police Chief William
"Bud" Byrne, a former subordi­
nate to Wallace, who recently
was placed in the city's top cop
slot. Wallace — whom Bud calls
"a stickler for details as far as the
law goes" — will be missed as the
department works to improve its
tarnished image, the chief says.
But, ending a career begun in
1951 on July 6, Wallace says the
time has come to leave Cedar
Rapids' "semi-military oper­
ation" in younger hands. His re­
tirement paves the way for other
up-and-coming officers, includ­
ing his son David, to direct the
department into the 21st century.
Night-shift patrol Capt. David
Johnson, a 15-year police officer,
was one of two officers promoted
last week to fill assistant chief va­
cancies created by the retire­
ments of Wallace and James Bar­
nes. For a father to step aside and
make room for his son would be
appropriate for , someone like
Wallace, who holds great regard
for family life.
Wallace and his wife of 44
years, Maxine, have raised five
sons, three of whom followed
their father into law enforcement
and two others who are serving
the public as a doctor and state
employee. In addition to David,
Ned — the eldest Johnson off­
spring — works for the state;
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,
"You can tell that some of them (officers) who come on now have never been in the military and have |!
never had much discipline in their lives/' says recently retired assistant police chief Wallace Johnson.
"But, hopefully, they'll learn in a hurry because this is a profession where you have to have a lot of
discipline."
Lynn is a detective sergeant with
the Linn Gounty Sheriffs Depart­
ment; Ron is a Cedar Rapids po­
lice officer; and Alan is a doctor
in St. Louis.
But Wallace insists he played
no part in his sons' career deci­
sions — even those who followed
in his footsteps.
"I didn't encourage it, but I
didn't discourage it," he says. "I
think it's a very good profession.
I pointed out all the good points."
There have been times, howev­
er, when Wallace stood accused
of playing a much larger roll in
his sons' futures.
In 1985, Ron was dismissed
from his new job as a city park­
ing meter patrol officer amid fa­
voritism questions surrounding
his father's position. Wallace has
insisted he did not influence the
PM
j
» h A ^ A A
hiring, but Ron was the only per­
son interviewed for the job,
although 320 people applied.
In what Wallace now refers to
as "the nepotism thing," David
this year successfully fought a
city policy that prevented him
from being considered for ap­
pointment to chief or assistant
chief as long as his father re­
mained on the force.
"I never did agree with that
(policy), naturally," Wallace
says.
The most serious controversy
in Wallace's career — and what
he now lists as his biggest regret
— was his being named among
six police officers in connection
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A j h A ^ A A A
Profile/
Wallace Johnson
Address: 2202 Balsam Dr. SW.
Age: 66.
Hometown: Kingsley.
Occupation: retired after more
than 38 years with the Cedar
Rapids Police Department.
Education: 1941 graduate of
McKinley Senior High School in
Cedar Rapids.
Family: wife of 44 years, Max­
ine; five sons.
Interests: member of the Ma­
sonic Lodge, El Kahir Shrine,
Elks Lodge, American Legion,
Veterans of Foreign Wars, usher
at Trinity Methodist Church.
types of situations a police officer
has to deal with in their personal
lives as well as their professional
capacity," he says. "She's been a
lot of support."
Now retired, Wallace plans to
spend his time repaying Maxine
by performing a list of tasks she's
compiled for him.
"She's got a long 'honey-do 1
list," he says. "I'm'just going to
catch up on things I should have
been doing around the house."
!
with an alleged conspiracy to
injure the reputations of other
officers in 1974. Though later vin­
dicated when the perjury and
obstruction of justice charges Accidents
were dismissed, Wallace says the
allegations posed a threat to his
can make you
reputation. a prisoner
"At the time, I was very con­ of pain
cerned," he says. "But the truth
eventually came through." Today, accidental injuries
Wallace credits his wife for causing severe neck, back or
standing beside him throughout other bodily pain need not
his career and helping him en­ sentence you to a lifetime of
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