A former Bay Area law enforcement officer is set to become the first woman to lead the Novato Police Department starting next month.
Novato City Manager Adam McGill announced this week that he named Beth Johnson, a Martinez police captain with 28 years of law enforcement experience, as the city’s top cop. Johnson has been a captain at Martinez since 2019, including five months as acting police chief from December 2021 to April.
Prior to that, she rose through the ranks to the rank of lieutenant during her nearly 21 years with the Walnut Creek Police Department and previously served four years as a dispatcher with the Arcata County Police Department. Humboldt.
McGill, who served as Novato’s police chief from 2017 to 2019 before being named city manager, said Johnson was one of six finalists he and three interview panels were considering.
“What really stood out for Beth was her interpersonal skills, her communication, relationship building — all the things we’re really looking for now that she had and had a proven track record,” McGill said. “She is very widely respected in the industry and in all the organizations she has worked in. I felt she was a plug-and-play at Novato based on where we are today .”
Johnson, 46, will start working at Novato on July 5 and earn an annual salary of $226,596. She currently lives in Benicia with her husband Kenny Hart, a police lieutenant from Benicia, but hopes to move to Novato next year after her son graduates from high school.
Johnson will replace former Novato chief Matthew McCaffrey, who retired at the end of 2021 after serving two years in the role and a total of six years in the department. Former Santa Rosa Police Chief Hank Schreeder has been hired as acting chief as the city searches for a replacement.
Reached on Thursday, Johnson said she applied for the job because she felt Novato was “such a great mix of all the agencies I’ve worked for so far.”
“It has the flavor of Walnut Creek, the rurality of Martinez, and it’s just a sophisticated, educated, progressive community and that really struck me,” Johnson said.
After serving as acting police chief for five months at Martinez, Johnson said she saw how the job allowed “the opportunity to create transformation within the profession in a positive way that will really serve in our communities”.
“For me, it’s inspiring to have the opportunity to step into the chief’s seat and lead a department, especially a department as progressive as Novato,” she said. “The most important thing is community engagement. The Novato Police Department already has a very strong connection to the community. Being able to continue on this path is really a highlight for me. »
Raised by a father who was a lifelong police officer in the Bay Area, Johnson said she knew from kindergarten what career path she wanted to follow.
“And he was a firefighter,” Johnson said with a laugh.
While studying forestry at Humboldt State University, she joined as a volunteer with the City of Arcata Fire Department. Although she said she liked the job, it didn’t pay the bills. She decided to join the Arcata Police Department as a community services officer writing parking tickets before becoming a dispatcher. Johnson said she returned to her Bay Area home and joined the Walnut Creek Police Department. She was sworn in the same day her father retired from the agency.
Regarding being the first woman to serve as Novato’s Chief of Police, Johnson said, “I’ve had some really phenomenal female mentors who paved the way for me and I just hope continue to push it forward and create space for everyone, not just women, to appear in an organization as their most authentic selves.
Johnson joins the department in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in extra work for officers, and the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, an event that has sparked protests across national level and increased control of law enforcement.
Additionally, the department has experienced greater staff turnover in recent years as officers have left for higher paying jobs or departments located in more affordable communities. Of the 34 Novato police officers who have left for other jobs since 2014, 16 departures have occurred in the past three years alone, according to the city.
In 2021, seven officers left last year, which was the highest number since 2014, when 10 officers left. In response, the Novato City Council approved a one-time 1.5% pay rise for staff earlier this year to try to stem further departures.
Sean Sinnott, president of the Novato Police Officers Association union, said the department was excited about Johnson.
“I’m very optimistic about the future of the organization,” Sinnott said. “We have fantastic staff and people I work with and I am confident that under his leadership we will only get better. We definitely look to a Chief to advocate to the Board on behalf of all department staff and hope to work side-by-side with Chief Johnson to improve working conditions at Novato PD.
After joining the department next month, Johnson said she plans to get to know her staff and hear from members of the community.
“Acting Chief Hank Schreeder has done a great job creating priorities and goals,” Johnson said. “I intend to continue the work he has done because I know it has brought a lot of value to the organization and to hear the community talk about what they are looking for in their police services.
A public swearing-in ceremony is tentatively scheduled for July 19.
