News Release: Police Chief Retires; City Manager Selects Successor
Published on March 31, 2026
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Police Chief Andrew Binder Announces Retirement; City Manager Selects Assistant Chief James Reifschneider as Successor
Chief Andrew Binder has served Palo Alto since 2015 concluding 28-year career in law enforcement
PALO ALTO, CALIF. – City Manager Ed Shikada announced today that Palo Alto Police Chief Andrew Binder has announced his retirement and the selection of James Reifschneider as the City’s next Chief of Police, subject to City Council confirmation on April 6.
Palo Alto Police Chief Andrew Binder’s retirement announcement concludes a 28-year law enforcement career serving eighteen years with the City of San Jose and ten years in Palo Alto.
“Thank you, Chief Binder, for your outstanding service to the Palo Alto community over the last decade,” said Vicki Veenker, Palo Alto’s mayor. “You led the department through a pandemic and fiscal constraints, addressing evolving public safety and community needs, while maintaining transparency and an equity focus. Through it all, I appreciate your resilience and leadership under pressure, commitment to the community, and constant professionalism.”
“I appreciate Chief Binder’s commitment and service to the Palo Alto community, and his ability navigating the changing needs of our community over the years and building trust, always leading with professionalism and respect,” said Ed Shikada, Palo Alto’s City Manager. “Andrew’s relentless dedication has positioned the Department well to continue its leadership in compassionate law enforcement for our community.”
In Palo Alto, Binder held several command level executive leadership roles; progressing within the department from Lieutenant to Captain, and two years of experience as Assistant Chief, before serving as Acting Chief of Police and then Chief of Police since August 2022.
“The decision to retire was not an easy one as I am going to miss the everyday interactions with the Palo Alto community, police department colleagues, and City executive leadership team,” said Andrew Binder, Palo Alto police chief. “The Palo Alto Police Department is an amazing team of dedicated staff, and over the last ten years we’ve made progress on key priorities such as department accountability and transparency, enhanced community engagement and communications and advanced new strides with recruitment and staff wellness programs. I appreciate the trust that City Manager Shikada, City Council, the police department team and the community placed in me to lead the department and look forward to continued success of the department under new leadership.”
The City Manager will present his selection of Assistant Chief James Reifschneider to the City Council on Monday, April 6, 2026.
“I am advancing James as Palo Alto’s next Chief of Police with confidence that he will provide outstanding leadership to the Police Department team with his two decades of law enforcement expertise and demonstrated skill in leading with integrity, equity and accountability,” said Ed Shikada, Palo Alto’s city manager. “James understands Palo Alto and comes to the role with a strong commitment to engagement and partnerships, and professionalism to advance the Department while maintaining trust and confidence throughout the community.”
Reifschneider joined the Palo Alto Police Department in 2005 after serving as a litigation lawyer at a local Menlo Park firm. Over the last 21 years with Palo Alto, Reifschneider has advanced within the department through all aspects of police operations, notably five years as Lieutenant overseeing field services and personnel and training, five years as Captain overseeing field services, investigative services, and administrative services with specialty assignments such as SWAT, hostage negotiation and public information. As assistant chief since 2025, Reifschneider has overseen all operational aspects of the police department and has been acting on behalf of Chief Binder since the fall.
“I would be honored to serve as the next police chief for Palo Alto,” said James Reifschneider, Palo Alto Police Department assistant chief. “I look forward to continuing to work with the police department’s outstanding personnel, City Manager Shikada, and the City’s other department heads to further strengthen community partnerships and deliver top notch public safety services.”
Reifschneider continued, “Key areas of focus will be fighting crime with the utmost professionalism and integrity, intensifying sworn officer recruitment efforts, engaging our community, effectively sharing public information, and completing the move-in to our state of the art public safety building.”
Reifschneider is a Bay Area native, receiving a Bachelor of Science, Political Science from Santa Clara University, and a law degree from University of California Law SF (formerly Hastings College). Reifschneider is a member of the International City/County Management Association, California Police Chiefs Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, California Bar Association, and attended the Harvard University (Kennedy School) Senior Executives in State and Local Government course in 2024.
The City Manager’s selection of the Police Chief is subject to confirmation by the City Council, per the City Charter. Reifschneider will step into the role of Police Chief following City Council confirmation on April 7, 2026, with a salary of $363,584.
The Palo Alto Police Department is one of fourteen departments in the City of Palo Alto and is supported by 141.5 FTE (86 sworn) and has an annual FY 2025-26 General Fund budget of $58 million. The Department is organized across eight divisions: Field Services, Technical Services, Investigations, Traffic Services, Parking Services, Police Personnel Services, Animal Services, and Administration. The Department responds to approximately 42,000 calls for service annually with an average response time of 6 minutes for emergency calls.
For more about the Palo Alto Police Department, go to www.PaloAlto.gov/police.
For more about the City of Palo Alto, go to www.PaloAlto.gov.
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Sent By:
Meghan Horrigan-Taylor
Chief Communications Officer
City Manager's Office
Office Phone: (650) 329-2607
Email: Meghan.Horrigan-Taylor@paloalto.gov