News

Joe Cartwright, a 23-year veteran of the Newport Beach Police Department who has served as its chief since 2022, will retire at the end of the 2024 calendar year, he announced this week.

The City will begin a nationwide recruitment shortly for Cartwright’s successor. This thorough process may necessitate the appointment of an interim chief during the search.

“Joe has been an important part of our executive team and brought many improvements and technologies to his department that will have a positive impact for years to come,” said City Manager Grace Leung. “I’m deeply appreciative of his many years of service to the City and his leadership for the last several years.” 

Cartwright is Newport Beach’s 11^th police chief. He began his law enforcement career with the Los Angeles Police Department in 1999 and joined the NBPD in 2002, holding a variety of field and executive management positions.

As NBPD chief, Cartwright oversaw the development of a new technology program now being implemented, which includes Flock camera license plate readers, surveillance camera integration software, a crime information center data hub, and a drone program. He also implemented the use of virtual-reality simulation training for police officers.