Palo Alto’s top cop is heading for the exits, and his second-in-command is set to slide into the big chair.
On Tuesday, City Manager Ed Shikada announced that Police Chief Andrew Binder will retire and that Assistant Chief James Reifschneider has been tapped as the city’s next police chief, pending City Council approval in early April. The move marks a planned leadership handoff after more than a decade of Binder’s service in Palo Alto, and it was made public in an official city announcement late Tuesday.
The news landed via a press release from the City of Palo Alto, which states that Shikada will bring Reifschneider’s nomination to the City Council at its April 6 meeting. The release notes that Binder has spent roughly 10 years in Palo Alto after 18 years with the City of San Jose and is retiring at the end of a 28-year law-enforcement career. In the announcement, Mayor Vicki Veenker thanked Binder “for his leadership and service to the Palo Alto community.”
Who Is James Reifschneider
Reifschneider is a familiar face inside the department. He has climbed the ranks over nearly two decades and was promoted to assistant chief in 2025, according to the Palo Alto Daily Post. Over the years, he has led tactical and patrol units and handled several high-liability assignments, experience that helped put him in line for the top job.
Department Size, Budget And Pay
The city’s announcement also lays out the scale of the department Reifschneider is poised to inherit. The Palo Alto Police Department is listed at 141.5 full-time equivalent positions (86 sworn), with a proposed FY 2025-26 budget of about $58 million, handling roughly 42,000 calls for service each year and averaging a six-minute emergency response time, according to the City of Palo Alto. The release pegs Reifschneider’s proposed annual salary at $363,584 if his appointment is confirmed.
Transition And Context
The leadership change has been unfolding in public view for months. Binder was on medical leave earlier this year, and Reifschneider stepped in as acting chief during that stretch, the Palo Alto Daily Post reported. He has also taken on community-facing work, including involvement with the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, according to San José Spotlight, which has highlighted his role in recent crisis-response efforts…