Walnut Creek, Calif., Police Chief Jamie Knox announced his retirement on Aug. 7, 2025, but he will remain through the end of the year. He has served as chief for the Walnut Creek Police Department for four years. (Walnut Creek Police Department via Bay City News)

Walnut Creek Police Chief Jamie Knox this week announced he is retiring at the end of 2025.

Knox has spent four and a half years as Walnut Creek’s top cop as part of more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, according to a statement released by the city.

“Serving as Walnut Creek’s police chief has been the honor of a lifetime,” Knox said in the statement on Thursday. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and grateful for the dedication of the men and women of this department and the support of our community.”

City officials said the process of selecting the next police chief will begin in the coming months.

Knox held leadership roles in the San Leandro, Novato and Rocklin police departments before coming to Walnut Creek. City officials said Walnut Creek saw historically low crime rates under his leadership and that he launched the department’s new Professional Standards and Training Unit, modernized recruit efforts and introduced drone technology for responses to critical incidents.

City Manager Dan Buckshi said, “I am thankful to Chief Knox for his many contributions to Walnut Creek. In addition to his successful efforts related to the Police Department, he has been an integral member of the broader city team having provided sound leadership throughout the organization and the community.”

Dan McMenamin is the managing editor at Bay City News, directing daily news coverage of the 12-county greater Bay Area. He has worked for BCN since 2008 and has been managing editor since 2014 after previously serving as BCN’s San Francisco bureau reporter. A UC Davis graduate, he came to BCN after working for a newspaper and nonprofit in the Davis area. He handles staffing, including coaching of our interns, day-to-day coverage decisions and management of the newswire.