Novato hires Martinez captain as first female police chief

Beth Johnson, a 28-year law enforcement officer and police captain for the city of Martinez, will begin her role as police chief on July 5.

A veteran Bay Area law enforcement officer is set to become the first woman to lead the Novato Police Department beginning next month.

Novato City Manager Adam McGill announced this week that he has appointed Beth Johnson, a Martinez police captain with 28 years of law enforcement experience, as the city’s top cop. Johnson has served as a captain in Martinez since 2019, including five months as acting police chief from December 2021 through April.

Prior to that, she rose the ranks to lieutenant during her nearly 21 years with the Walnut Creek Police Department and formerly served four years as a dispatcher with the Arcata Police Department in Humboldt County.

McGill, who formerly served as Novato’s police chief from 2017 to 2019 before being appointed city manager, said Johnson was one of six finalists that he and three interview panels were considering.

“What really put Beth ahead was her interpersonal skills, her communication, relationship building — all the things we’re really looking for now she possessed and had a proven track record on delivering on,” McGill said. “She’s very widely respected in the industry and every organization she’s worked in. I felt she was a plug-and-play in Novato based on where we are today.”

Johnson, 46, will begin work in Novato on July 5 and will be paid an annual salary of $226,596. She currently lives in Benicia with her husband Kenny Hart, a Benicia police lieutenant, 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 position and a total of six years in the department. Former Santa Rosa police chief Hank Schreeder was hired as interim chief as the city searched for a replacement.

Reached Thursday, Johnson said she applied for the job because she felt Novato was “such a beautiful blend of all the agencies I’ve worked for thus far.”

“It has the flavor of Walnut Creek, the ruralness of Martinez, and it’s just a sophisticated, educated and progressive community and that really hit home for me,” Johnson said.

After serving as acting police chief for five months in Martinez, Johnson said she saw how the position allows for the “opportunity to create transformation within the profession in a positive way that is really going to serve in our communities.”

“For me, it’s inspiring to have the opportunity to take the chief’s seat and lead a department, especially one as progressive as Novato,” she said. “The most important thing is the community engagement. The Novato Police Department already has a really strong connection with the community. To be able to continue that forward is really a highlight for me.”

Raised by a father who was a lifelong Bay Area police officer, Johnson said she knew from kindergarten what career path she wanted to take.

“And that 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’s fire department. While she said she loved the work, it did not 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 home in the Bay Area and joined the Walnut Creek Police Department. She was sworn in the same day her father retired from the agency.

In regards to being the first woman to serve as Novato police chief, Johnson said, “I’ve had really phenomenal women mentors pave the way for me and I just hope to keep paying it forward and creating space for everyone, not just women, to show up in an organization as their most authentic self.”

Johnson joins the department in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought on additional work for officers, and the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, an event that sparked nationwide protests and heightened scrutiny 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 that have left for other jobs since 2014, 16 departures occurred in the past three years alone, according to the city.

In 2021, seven officers left last year, which was the largest number since 2014, when 10 officers departed. In response, the Novato City Council approved a one-time 1.5% pay raise for staff earlier this year to attempt to stem further departures.

Sean Sinnott, president of the Novato Police Officers Association union, said the department is excited about Johnson.

“I’m very optimistic about the future of the organization,” Sinnott said. “We have some fantastic staff and people that I work with and I’m confident that under her leadership we’re only going to get better. We definitely look to a chief to advocate to the council on behalf of all department staff and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to work side by side with Chief Johnson to improve the working conditions at Novato PD.”

After joining the department next month, Johnson said she plans to get to know her staff and hear from community members.

“Interim Chief Hank Schreeder has done a great job in creating priorities and goals,” Johnson said. “It’s my plan to continue on with the work that he has been doing because I know it has brought a lot of value to the organization and to hear from the community about what they’re looking for in their police services.”

A public swearing-in ceremony is tentatively scheduled for July 19.