Novato Police Chief Will Retire On Dec. 30 After 39-Year Career

NOVATO, CA — Novato Chief of Police Matthew McCaffrey has announced that he will retire on Dec. 30 following a 39-year law enforcement career that included almost 7 years in Novato.

McCaffrey has served as Novato's police chief since 2019, when he was appointed by Adam McGill, Novato city manager and former chief of police. He initially joined the Novato Police Department (NPD) as a police captain in March 2015 to oversee the operations and administrative divisions, city officials said in a news release.

"The City is appreciative of Chief McCaffrey's leadership of the Novato Police Department and dedication to the Novato community over the last six years," McGill said. "We wish him all the best during his well-deserved retirement."

City officials said McCaffrey worked to improve the NPD's relationship with the community by "expanding outreach and transparency on department policies, procedures, and hot topics including use of force, de-escalation trainings, LGBTQ+ awareness for peace officers, hate incident reporting, diversity and more."

He also launched citywide evacuation maps and disaster preparedness information and led his department through the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.

"The past 24 months have been challenging," McCaffrey said. "Nobody saw what was coming and how it would affect this profession, but I'm proud that I was here to guide the department through them."

McCaffrey spent most of his career at the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, where he worked for 30 years in various roles, including correctional deputy, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. He also served as chief of police for the Sonoma County Junior College District for 2.5 years, officials said.

"I feel confident that the leadership that is in place at the police department will continue to do what's best for the community that they serve," McCaffrey said. "I want to thank Adam and the City Council for trusting me with such a huge responsibility."

Upon his retirement, officials said Hank Schreeder will serve as interim chief of police until a permanent replacement is hired.

Schreeder has 31 years of law enforcement experience, and served as the city of Santa Rosa's police chief before retiring in 2019, officials said. In 2020, he was interim chief for the city of Emeryville.

As interim chief, Schreeder will be paid $105 per hour and is not eligible for any further salary or any benefits (such as health insurance or further retirement incentives), officials said.

"We are pleased to have someone with Chief Schreeder's experience lead our police department while we work towards finding a permanent replacement," McGill said.

Novato officials will launch a recruitment for a full-time police chief this spring.