Meet the Campus Safety Team

Beth Johnson, has served in law enforcement for 30 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 where she grew up to accept a Police Officer position with the Walnut Creek Police Department in 1999. 

In her 21 years of service with WCPD, Beth served as a patrol officer, a detective specializing in investigating crimes against children, a member of the Community Policing Team, a Field Training Officer, and a firearms instructor among other collateral assignments. She promoted to sergeant in 2012 where she served in patrol and the Investigations Bureau. She promoted to Lieutenant in 2016 and served as a patrol watch commander. 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. Beth was appointed Chief of Police for the Novato Police Department in July of 2022 where she led a staff of 62 sworn and 30 professional/volunteer professional staff. 

Beth is an experienced POST certified instructor focused on personal and professional growth and development, leadership, strategic and succession planning, and effective communication. She has been a keynote speaker and workshop presenter for the California Police Chiefs Association, the Women Leaders in Law Enforcement, Southwest Women Leaders in Law Enforcement (New Mexico), and the SOLE Sisterhood (Colorado and Tennessee). During her service at WCPD, MPD, and NPD she organized and co-facilitated many team building workshops and training sessions.

After a full career, Beth left full time law enforcement work in 2023 to become a consultant for law enforcement leadership seeking to enhance and develop executive and command level staff in their organizations.

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, CPCA Wellness Committee, and CPCA Training Committee. She is a founding member of the Women Leaders in Law Enforcement Foundation (WLLEF) and the WLLEF Mentoring Program.