Photo courtesy of Johnna Barnes.
Johnna Barnes, receives recognition for her work with the Chelsea Citizen Observer Patrol.
For Johnna Barnes, the 2022 vote in Chelsea on whether to establish its own school system was a turning point.
Barnes, who grew up in Westover and has lived in Chelsea her entire adult life, has driven a bus for Shelby County Schools since 1995. She had been active raising her children — but hadn’t been as involved in the community as she is now.
Three years ago, Chelsea was deciding whether to set up a new school system. The move would have required breaking away from Shelby County Schools and raising new revenue to fund the effort.
“It kind of sparked something in me to not just sit around and observe everything that was going on in our community, but to be more involved,” Barnes said.
The contentious campaign that followed was unlike anything the city had seen — and the effort to separate ultimately failed. But the experience motivated Barnes to get involved on the side that supported staying in the Shelby County Schools system.
“I walked out of there that night in tears because I thought, oh my gosh, we made a difference,” she said. “I want to be a part. I want to be an informed part, not somebody who sits on the sidelines.”
To stay active, Barnes joined the Citizen Observer Patrol — an all-volunteer group that assists the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in Chelsea.
“I wanted to be more involved,” Barnes said. “I just wanted to be able to give back something, rather than just sit and be somebody that said, ‘Oh, I love our community, and I think it’s great,’ you know, but I’m gonna sit here and do nothing.”
COP volunteers drive in pairs throughout the city, checking for unusual activity, reporting concerns to dispatch and assisting with traffic during accidents or storms.
“We are not police officers,” she said. “We just basically make our presence known to try and help the community feel safer. We go out at night and patrol when that had not been done in several years. We’re just being helpful to them.”
Barnes also serves as a trainer for new recruits.
“There’s four that actually goes out and can train a new recruit,” she said.
Each new member completes a background check and several ride-alongs before being approved for independent patrols.
“Driving a bus is just part of who I am,” she said. “I call them my kids, because that’s how I feel about them.”
After decades of watching Chelsea grow, Barnes said she’s ready for a new challenge: a run for City Council, Place 1 — the same seat once held by her husband, Robert.
“I thought, how cool it would be if I could get elected to the same place that he did back a few years ago.”
For Barnes, community involvement has become a calling.
“You can allow everybody to come in and change your communities. But … have a vision of what you would like Chelsea to become,” she said. “That’s what motivated me.”
