CLAYTON, N.C. — As a community policing officer, Neal Johnson is immersed in the Clayton community. His role is to ensure residents feel safe and well-protected.

Officer Johnson has been with the Clayton Police Department for 11 years, working as the community policing officer for the last six.

What You Need To Know

  • The Clayton Police Department community policing officer offers free security audits to businesses, churches and organizations

  • Neal Johnson is a crime prevention officer and the community policing officer in Clayton

  • Officer Johnson offers assailant training

“When communities know how to handle an emergency or potentially violent situation at home, at work or elsewhere, our communities are safer,” Johnson said.

Johnson offers free security audits, assailant training and individual emergency response plans for businesses, churches and organizations in the community.

“If you’re in the back in the kitchen, that kind of thing. If you’re upstairs working, it’s a good idea to have the front doors, really all doors, locked so you can monitor who is coming and going,” Johnson said.

Johnson recommends businesses have up-to-date security systems, cameras and keep their property well lit at night.

“If an officer is riding through after hours, and they can see into the business relatively easily, if they see something that don’t look right, suspicious, lights on that shouldn’t be on, that kind of thing, it’s going to give them possible indicators that someone may be in there that isn’t supposed to be,” Johnson said.

Johnson says visibility is key when it comes to safety.

“A lot of homes, their landscaping plays a part in visibility, and that’s where it’s very important to keep your landscaping and everything trimmed. The trees and that kind of thing, keep them trimmed and cut properly shrubbery that way you can see out, and it don’t offer a bad guy an opportunity to hide in the bushes or that kind of thing,” Johnson said.

The public programs also teach participants the Avoid-Deny-Defend strategy. This three-step strategy is used nationwide by officers during active shooter situations.

“Most criminals are not looking confrontational, but then again, you want to be very careful about approaching someone if you don’t have to because you never know what their mindset is going to be,” Johnson said.