Ntshanga's was the most recent and notable case of alleged police racism, but Johnson's tenure has been consistently marked by such incidents.

The first accusations came in February of Johnson's first year when a student, Thomas A. Harris '84, was given a written apology after alleging race-based harassment by the police.

A committee to explore police racism, including Johnson and a Harvard student, was named by the Cambridge City Council one month later, but the incidents continued.

In 1985, a black Law School student claimed police stopped him in the Malkin Athletic Center because of his race and demanded to see identification.

A group of local black teenagers filed a $2 million civil rights suit against the University in 1986, claiming they were stopped by police because of their race.

In 1992, after two further allegations that police harassed black students, the Black Students Association (BSA) charged the police with racism in a flyer, "On the Harvard Plantation."

Johnson defended his department, and said the controversial flyer contained "errors of fact."

Later that year, minority security guards alleged that they had been mistreated by their supervisors. A University inquiry deemed the allegations unfounded.

Despite the University's findings, students remained concerned that police continued to mistreat blacks.

"There is a serious problem with regards to how some members of the police department treat black students on this campus," Zaheer R. Ali '94, a former president of the BSA, told The Crimson in 1994.

Johnson, who is black, was known for unilaterally defending his predominantly white force, while also attempting to open up dialogue with the community and address any suspicions of racism.

"There is a certain amount of sensitivity that I think we did show, if somewhat belatedly," Johnson says. "In the long run, I think we did a good job."

Johnson says he played a key role in diversifying the police force, noting his hiring of the first Asian-American officer.

But during Johnson's tenure, some were unhappy with his hiring record. In April 1993, employees noted that all seven Harvard police lieutenants were white. Of the department's 13 sergeants, the four who are black were all promoted before Johnson arrived. And of the eight senior officers promoted under Johnson in his first 10 years, none was a racial minority.

While critics claimed racism within the department was becoming more prevalent and was being ignored, Johnson said in 1993 that accusations of racism could only be rooted in misunderstanding.