N.J. Transgender Detective Makes State Law Enforcement History

I wasn’t the guy that grew up wanting to be a cop,” he said. “My family didn’t have cops in the family. I’m the first law enforcement officer in my family.”

Christopher Wiggins

Christopher Wiggins is The Advocate’s senior national reporter in Washington, D.C., covering the intersection of public policy and politics with LGBTQ+ lives, including The White House, U.S. Congress, Supreme Court, and federal agencies. He has written multiple cover story profiles for The Advocate’s print magazine, profiling figures like Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride, longtime LGBTQ+ ally Vice President Kamala Harris, and ABC Good Morning America Weekend anchor Gio Benitez. Wiggins is committed to amplifying untold stories, especially as the second Trump administration’s policies impact LGBTQ+ (and particularly transgender) rights, and can be reached at christopher.wiggins@equalpride.com or on BlueSky at cwnewser.bsky.social; whistleblowers can securely contact him on Signal at cwdc.98.

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Christopher Wiggins

February 23 2023 12:48 PM EST

February 23 2023 5:01 PM EST

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A 36-year-old trans man in New Jersey is making history as the state’s first out transgender law enforcement officer.

Detective Connor Johnson, an investigator with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, didn’t always want to work in criminal justice. Since finding his calling, he has spoken out to share his story, the Asbury Park Pressreports.

“I wasn’t the guy that grew up wanting to be a cop,” he said. “My family didn’t have cops in the family. I’m the first law enforcement officer in my family.”

A former Prosecutor’s Office’s Trial Support Fugitive Unit member, Johnson now works in the Prosecutor’s Office’s High Tech Bureau, part of the Internet Crimes Unit and Crime Against Children Task Force.

His previous positions included working for the Morristown Bureau of Police, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Morris County public safety dispatch.

He is also a designated LGBTQ Law Enforcement Liaison, working with peers across the county and throughout New Jersey to educate them on a requirement in the state for law enforcement officials to treat transgender people with dignity and respect, according to the Asbury Park Press.

“Without the education, we can’t create understanding. Without understanding, there’s no acceptance,” Johnson said. “I had to educate myself on who I was. How am I going to expect somebody who isn’t trans to understand if they’re not educated on it as well?”