Has served in top spot since 2019
Winthrop’s marshals: a timeline
• December 2013: Marshal Dave Dahlstrom resigns after four years on the job; deputy Ken Bajema named interim marshal
• May 2014: Rikki Schwab hired as marshal
• July 2015: Schwab resigns, Bajema takes over as acting marshal
• December 2015: Bajema resigns, which leaves town with no police officers
• June 2016: Hal Henning hired as marshal by former Mayor Sue Langdalen
• February 2017: Henning fired by Mayor Anne Acheson, which again leaves the town with no police officers; town contracts with Twisp for police protection
• August 2017: Daniel Tindall hired as Winthrop marshal
• December 2017: Doug Johnson hired as a deputy marshal
• August 2018: Bajema re-hired as a deputy marshal
• October 2018: State Criminal Justice Training Commission issues an order revoking Tindall’s peace office certification
• November 2018: Okanogan County Superior Court judge denies Tindall’s request to stay the peace officer decertification
• April 2019: Johnson appointed marshal
At time when hiring police officers is a major challenge across the country, both Twisp and Winthrop are now searching for a top law enforcement officer.
Doug Johnson, who was hired by the Town of Winthrop as a deputy marshal in 2017 and promoted to marshal in 2019, has announced his retirement. The town has begun its search for a replacement.
The Town of Twisp has been searching for a new police chief to replace Paul Budrow, who was elected Okanogan County sheriff in November 2022 after serving as chief for more than a decade. As of last month, the town had no applicants for the position.
Winthrop Mayor Sally Ranzau said Johnson intends to resign at the end of May, but has assured her that he will assist in the transition to a new marshal. “Doug won’t leave us in the lurch,” she said.
“It’s going to be a hard search,” the mayor added.
Both Twisp and Winthrop have two other police officers currently on staff.
In April 2019, Johnson was named town marshal after holding the position on a temporary basis for several months. He replaced Daniel Tindall, who had lost a legal appeal to stay his decertification as a police officer in Washington state, and was required to leave the marshal’s position. Johnson filled in as interim marshal.
Johnson was hired as a deputy marshal by then-Marshal Tindall in December 2017. He previously spent about 25 years with the Tukwila Police Department, which has more than 70 sworn officers. His responsibilities included running the narcotics, vice and patrol divisions.
Johnson grew up in Spokane, graduated from Ferris High School and attended Eastern Washington University, where he majored in sociology and criminology with a military science minor. He started with the Tukwila Police Department in 1993. He and his wife, Becky, have two daughters.
