Beth Johnson has been in law enforcement for 29 years. She began as a Community Service Officer and Police Dispatcher for the Arcata Police Department in 1994 while attending Humboldt State University. During that time she also became a Firefighter/EMT for the Arcata Volunteer Fire Department. She served at APD and AVFD for five years before moving back to the Bay Area to accept a Police Officer position with the Walnut Creek Police Department in 1999.
In her 21 years of service with WCPD, Beth served in a variety of assignments and ranks eventually promoting to lieutenant. Beth was hired as the Captain at Martinez PD in 2019 where she served as the sole second in command overseeing the Operations and Support Services Divisions. In 2022 Beth was appointed Chief of Police for the Novato PD. In 2023 Beth chose to leave full time law enforcement and now serves as an interim chief and leadership consultant.
Beth has a Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice Management, and is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Institute from Drucker’s School of Management – Claremont Graduate University. She served as the Northern California Associate Member on the California Police Chiefs Association Board of Directors and was a member of the CPCA Wellness Committee and CPCA Training Committee. She is a founding member of the Women Leaders in Law Enforcement Foundation where she continues to serve.