HR0019 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0019 LRB100 05339 MST 15350 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate JoAnn Johnson on becoming the first African American woman to reach the rank of Colonel with the Illinois State Police; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Johnson was promoted to the rank of Colonel on November 1, 2016; she presently works at Illinois State Police (ISP) headquarters in downtown Springfield and is in charge of the Division of Internal Investigations; she has been with the ISP for 27 years; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Johnson started on the midnight shift in Elgin as a patrol officer; she worked in criminal investigations and also served as an undercover narcotics officer in a joint-jurisdictional drug task force in the early 1990s; in 2010, she moved to Springfield to teach at the Illinois State Police Academy; three years later, she was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and moved to the Internal Investigation Division; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Johnson attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale; she was the only African American woman in her ISP academy class; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Johnson married Richard Johnson in 2013; together they have two daughters, ages 9 and 11; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate JoAnn Johnson on becoming the first African American woman to reach the rank of Colonel with the Illinois State Police; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Colonel Johnson as an expression of our esteem and respect.