As county attorney, Johnson has initiated a number of changes and programs since taking office including:
- Instituting community prosecution through Washington County to facilitate communications and cooperation between law enforcement and prosecutors
- Forming the Washington County Juvenile Law Enforcement Officers Association to enhance communication between agencies
- Developing a case management system to facilitate the handling of cases within the office
- Expanding juvenile and adult diversion programs to hasten offender consequences
- Developing a speaker bureau to provide lawyers to speak to school classes
He is a past-president of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association and currently serves on the association's Board of Directors.
Prior to being elected County Attorney, Johnson was an Assistant Washington County Attorney for 12 years. In 1987, he was the first attorney in a newly created Juvenile Division that was responsible for the prosecution of all juvenile cases as well as all child protection cases. At the time of his election, he was the head of the division that had grown to five attorneys. He served as co-chair of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association's Juvenile Committee as well as on the Juvenile Rules of Court Committee of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
In 1972, Johnson began his legal career in a general private practice in Wadena, Minnesota, where he also served as the Wadena City Attorney for 10 years and as the Wadena County Attorney for four years. He is one of the few county attorneys who have been elected in two different counties.
Johnson received his law degree from the University of Minnesota and his undergraduate degree from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. He is a veteran having served with the U.S. Army in Korea.
