At its July 19 meeting, Northampton County Council voted 8-0 to confirm Richard H. Johnston as Sheriff. He is also the joint top choice of both Executive Lamont McClure and President Judge Michael Koury Jr.

Johnston’s salary will be $89,235.

Peg Ferraro, who was absent for Johnston’s confirmation hearing the previous day, abstained.

Johnston is the 72nd person to serve as Northampton County Sheriff since the county was first formed in 1752. The county’s first sheriff, William Craig, was a captain in Pennsylvania provincial militia under Major William Parsons during the French and Indian War. Johnston’s immediate predecessor, David Dalrymple, was a major in the New Jersey State Police.

The Sheriff’s Office goes all the way back to 10th century England, when Alfred the Great divided England into “shires” led by a “reeve.” The shire reeve eventually became known as the sheriff, who would defend the people against Viking incursions.

These days, there are no Vikings, but the Northampton County Sheriff still provides building and court room security. He also transports prisoners, locates and apprehends fugitives, serves legal papers, handles the sale of real estate and personal property. He also issues gun permits.

Only Northampton and Luzerne counties appoint the sheriff. In Pennsylvania’s remaining 65 counties, the sheriff is elected.

You can still detect a slight New York accent in Johnston’s voice. He started his career there as a NYC transit cop in 1982. While working full-time, he earned an associate’s degree in forensic psychology in 1993. In 1994, he was promoted to sergeant for the NYPD. He supervised between 20 and 45 officers, depending on which precinct he worked.

After putting in his 20 years with New York City, he continued his career in law enforcement here in the Lehigh Valley. He started as a district security officer at Easton School District and became a deputy sheriff in 2002. He worked his way up through the ranks until he became a lieutenant in 2008.

He also knows what it’s like to suffer adversity on the job. In 2010, he was laid off as a result of a department reorganization. Instead of giving up, he worked for Sands Casino as a security officer and a table games dealer until he was reinstated in 2013.

Johnston has 34 years of experience in law enforcement.

He lives in Bethlehem Township with his wife, Barbara. He also has two daughters, Flannery and Moya, who graduated from Freedom HS.