The Patrol Bureau is the largest and most visible component of the Novato Police Department. Personnel in this division respond to all calls for service and initiate most investigations. Officers also assist allied agencies (Marin County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol) within, and adjacent to, the city limits of Novato. Patrol of the city is conducted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The Patrol Bureau is responsible for providing reactive and proactive community oriented policing over the 28 square mile expanse of the City of Novato. The population, within the incorporated city limits of Novato is approximately 55,000+ people. This area is divided into four 'beat' areas of patrol:

(1) Beat one encompasses the San Marin Area.

(2) Beat two encompasses the Vintage Oaks and Bahia area.

(3) Beat three encompasses the Ignacio and Hamilton area.

(4) Beat four encompasses the Downtown area.

It is the responsibility of the patrol officer to respond to all calls for service. Once an officer has arrived, they will determine the appropriate course of action to be taken. Some courses of action do not require a police officer to respond and can be handled either by contacting 

NPD or the appropriate agency (see the Police Frequently Asked Questions) 

The Novato Police Investigations Section is comprised of one Detective Sergeant and four Detectives who investigate felony crimes against persons and property.

The Investigations Section is responsible for investigating of a wide variety of serious crimes including but not limited to homicide, robbery, domestic violence, sexual assaults, burglary, fraud, arson, gang crimes and missing persons. The Investigations Unit serves as a liaison to the Marin County District Attorney’s Office and to other law enforcement agencies.

Investigators are on call during weekends and after hours to assist with major crime investigation. The Novato Police Department’s Investigation Section is also responsible for the registration and compliance checks of all sex, drug, arson, and gang registrants living in Novato.

All Novato Police Detectives received specialized training from the Robert Presley Institute of Criminal Investigation and comply with California Peace Officer Standards and Training requirements. Investigators attend community meetings and work with victim advocacy groups such as the Center for Domestic Peace, Community Violence Solutions and the Financial Abuse Specialist Team (FAST).

The Novato Police Department Traffic Section is responsible for carrying out traffic enforcement and collision investigation. We work with the Office of Traffic Safety on many safety campaigns carried out by our department through funding by the program. 

The Traffic Section participates in the following OTS programs:

• National Bicycle Safety Month
• National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month 
• Back to School Safety
• Distracted Driving Campaigns 
• Anti-Speeding Campaigns
• DUI Checkpoints

All of these programs are funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety.

In response to concerns and community complaints regarding speeding and other violations in Novato neighborhoods, the Traffic Section keeps a traffic complaint log. The radar trailer is deployed in areas listed in the “Complaint Log” and throughout the City, to advise motorists of their speed compared to the posted speed limit. The Traffic Section also has a “School Enforcement Program”. 

Traffic officers and CSO’s enforce vehicle codes and parking violations at the 13 City schools, on a rotational basis.

Community Service Officer & Police Intern positions are responsible for parking enforcement throughout Novato, maintenance of the department’s vehicles, abandoned vehicle towing and the monitoring of traffic in our school zones to ensure the safety of the children in our community. These positions also assist with traffic control at collisions, fires, parades or any event as needed.

The Novato Police Department’s Canine Program was established in 1996. Over the years, many K-9 teams have served the City of Novato. Novato Police Canine teams are highly trained and follow industry best practices, recommended guidelines and department policy on canine use of force and recommended training standards.

Our police canines live and train with their handlers, so they become a tightly bonded, high functioning team. Our police canine teams allow officers to search and clear large areas quickly and more efficiently to improve officer safety.

Our canines are trained to detect dangerous drugs and apprehend violent suspects to protect officers or community members from harm.

• Tracking - locating missing persons (civilian or criminal)
• Preventive patrolling of high crime areas
• Building searches and apprehension of criminals
• Crowd control
• Physical detention of fleeing criminals
• Protection of the officer in presence of physical threat
• Locating lost or hidden articles or evidence and illegal narcotics
• Crime prevention Public relations 

The police department is currently authorized two Police Service Dog Team which are assigned to Patrol. The approved use of our canines are outlined in our Novato Police Department Canine policy.

Our teams are available to other law enforcement agencies in the County of Marin. The police canine teams visit department outreach events and participate in community presentations.

Our police canine teams are largely funded by community donations through the local Pennies for Police Dogs. We also receive grants to help with the purchase of K-9 Armor. 

The Novato Police Department's Bicycle Patrol Program has been in existence since 1998.  Currently 30 police officers are trained in the operation of the mountain bikes.  The department has 11 mountain bikes that are equipped for patrol.  Those bikes were purchased in 2004 with grant money from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.   Bicycle officers are ambassadors for the department.  Much of bicycle officers’ time is spent on public relations.   However, police mountain bikes are ideal for situations which require stealth law enforcement techniques.  It not uncommon for officers to ride up on persons involved in criminal activity without being noticed. 

Bicycle officers are required to attend a minimum of 24 hours of training.  Bicycle training includes the following components:

• Review of bicycle nomenclature and maintenance.
• Riding techniques, formation riding, and traffic control.
• Nutrition and fitness.
• Dismount, traffic enforcement, and apprehension techniques.
• Review of laws related to bicycle riding.

In order to complete the course, officers must demonstrate the ability to jump objects, ride up and down stairs, maneuver through cone patterns, ride through crowds, maneuver through various terrain  and effectively execute apprehension techniques.  The course is physically demanding, and officers must be in reasonably good physical shape in order to complete the course. 

The Novato Police Department Communications Center is the most vital link between the officers and the Novato community. Dispatchers emergency line calls, interview the callers and enter information into the Department’s computer aided dispatch (CAD) system. The dispatchers prioritize calls for service and dispatch appropriate personnel. As they receive these calls, a dispatcher obtains initial information from individuals who are often emotional or frightened, assess the nature of the emergency, and determine whether the call requires police, fire and/or medical response, or other type of assistance, referral or information.

Dispatchers additionally perform a wide variety of tasks including answering, researching and routing requests for information, completing records and/or warrants checks when requested by officers and authorized agencies, processing and maintaining restraining orders and missing persons information, and completing a number of different data entry and administrative duties.

Services Offered:

• Text to 9-1-1: The Novato Police Department has the ability to receive text messages during an emergency when you cannot talk on the phone. To use this system, all you have to do is type “911” in the recipient text field and hit send. Our dispatchers will receive your message and begin a text conversation. Please try to refrain from using abbreviations or emojis. This could lead to confusion and result in delays getting you the proper assistance.
  • We know Text 9-1-1 saves lives and provides a new way for people to get help in emergencies. Remember, we always prefer you to call 9-1-1 when possible, but if you can’t talk…. text us!
  • Check out the FAQs for more information and tips on when texting may be a better option. Please note “Text to 9-1-1” is not yet available everywhere. Whether you reside, work, or travel outside of Novato make sure you check with local police agencies to see if this new feature is available. If you send a text message to “9-1-1” in an area that does not have text capability, you will receive a default message from your wireless service provider that the “Text to 9-1-1” service is not available.

To speak with a Dispatch Supervisor, please call 415-897-4361. 

The Novato Police Department Records Section is the custodian of all police business records and is responsible for forwarding reports to the District Attorney’s Office that have the potential for prosecution. Reports are reviewed for statistical accuracy and are processed. The report attachments are scanned into RMS (Record Management System) and kept electronically. The Records Section is also responsible for completing report requests from the community, assisting the public at the font counter and reporting crime statistics to the California Department of Justice. 

Unlike many records sections, the Novato Police Records Section personnel are skilled call takers, who in addition to answering and routing all the business calls, also accept non-emergency calls for service from the community. They enter these calls into a Computer Aided Dispatch system and occasionally assist the dispatchers with emergency calls.

 Services Offered:

• Online Reporting:
  • Click the link below to take you to our online reporting tool document theft of less than $900.00 in value, with no suspect information, or vandalism under $1,000.00 in value, also with no suspect information. This process is used when there are no suspects or solvability factors and the reporting person does not need to speak with a Police Officer. The form meets insurance company documentation needs.

• Counter Reports:
  • Counter Reports may be used after you have left the scene to document non-injury accidents, where the parties wish to record information previously exchanged at the scene of the collision. General information required includes: driver's names, addresses, phone numbers, vehicle and driver's license information and insurance policy numbers. The Counter Report/Collision form can be completed at the Novato police department front counter or mailed out to the involved parties.

• Report Abandoned Vehicles:
  • Vehicles must have been parked in the same place for a minimum of 72 hours. Call 897-4361 and provide the location, vehicle color, make, model and license number as well as the length of time the vehicle has been parked in the same place. This information will then be given to a Community Service Officer or Police Intern who will mark the vehicles and put them on a list to be towed.

• Request a Copy of Traffic or Police Reports:
  • Collision reports are released to the driver or the drivers authorized representative. Requests must be made in writing and must include the requester's name, address and phone number, as well as the relationship to the report. 
  • Check the Master Fee Schedule for current fees. 
  • Requests are processed as soon as possible within 10 days.
  • Traffic collision reports may take longer and can be requested online at mycollisionreport.com when available.

• Incident Request:
  • Information about our calls for service is available either by requesting a specific event(s) or activity at a specific address. A request form is available. The request must be in writing and include a reason for the request. The requester will be notified when the information is available, confidential information will be deleted.
  • Request Incident or Address History

• Vehicle Tows:
  • Vehicles will ONLY be released to the registered owner.
  • Cash, check or credit card is accepted. Check the Master Fee Schedule for current fees. 
  • The registered or legal owner must have a valid CA Driver's License or be accompanied by a person with a valid CA Driver's License. Validity will be confirmed at the Police Department.
  • The vehicle must be currently registered in the state of California. If the vehicle was impounded due to multiple vehicle code licensing violations, the vehicle will be held for 30 days from the date of the tow unless otherwise approved by the Traffic Sergeant through an administrative tow hearing.

• Public Fingerprinting & Live Scan:
  • Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
  • Photo ID is required.
  • Check the Master Fee Schedule for current fees. 
  • Fingerprints are validated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

To speak with a Records Supervisor, please call 415-897-4361. 

The Evidence Technician is responsible for receiving, cataloging and storing evidence and recovered property and must ensure that all evidence is properly packaged and stored to preserve it in its original state for prosecution. The technician retrieves evidence for court, arranges for analysis of evidence by the California Department of Justice Crime Lab and maintains the “chain of custody." The Evidence Technician takes possession of all found property turned in to the Department and arranges for return of the property when the owner is located.