Harbor Police Chief Magda Fernandez Sets Retirement Date

Port CEO Appoints Jeffrey Geary as Next Chief and Jonathan George as Next Assistant Chief

After more than 25 years of exemplary service and leadership, Port of San Diego Chief of Harbor Police and Public Safety Magda Fernandez is retiring, effective December 10, 2026. Chief Fernandez was sworn in as the first Latina to serve as chief of Harbor Police - and the first Latina top cop in all of San Diego County - in May 2022. She joined the Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department as a police officer recruit in 2001 and rose in the ranks serving as captain from February to November 2021, then acting assistant chief and acting chief.

"For more than 25 years, Chief Fernandez has devoted herself to protecting and uplifting the people and communities the Port serves, and we are deeply grateful for the heart she has brought to that work," said Port of San Diego President and CEO Scott Chadwick. "Her leadership has strengthened our Harbor Police Department, built trust throughout the communities around San Diego Bay, and inspired those who have had the privilege of serving alongside her. Her legacy will be felt for years to come in the many lives she has touched and in the safer, stronger, and more connected region she helped create."

"It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the Port of San Diego and the communities around San Diego Bay alongside the dedicated women and men of Harbor Police," said Chief Fernandez. "Throughout my career, my priorities have remained constant - caring for our people, earning the trust of our communities, and ensuring our department is prepared to serve with honor, professionalism, and dedication. I am proud of the strategic foundation we have built, the emphasis we have placed on officer wellness, and the meaningful relationships we have strengthened - especially with young people and families in the communities we serve. None of this would have been possible without the colleagues who shared this mission. I want to especially thank my family, friends, and mentors - your encouragement, sacrifices, and belief in me carried me through every chapter. I leave with a full heart, deep gratitude, and complete confidence in the department's future."

To succeed Chief Fernandez, Port President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Chadwick has appointed current Harbor Police Assistant Chief Jeffrey Geary to assume the role as chief and current Harbor Police Captain Jonathan George to become assistant chief.

With approximately 145 sworn officers and 30 non-sworn personnel, the Harbor Police Department provides police and marine firefighting services on and around San Diego Bay along the Port's five member cities of Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City, and San Diego. The department also provides police protection at the San Diego International Airport through a contract with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. The Harbor Police Department occupies a unique space amongst regional law enforcement agencies. All Harbor Police officers are cross trained to prevent crime on the waterfront and fight fire on the water, providing the highest levels of policing, maritime firefighting, aviation security, and public safety services. Additionally, many officers receive specialized training to support the department's Maritime Tactical Team (MARTAC), underwater search and rescue operations, underwater crime scene investigations, vessel collision investigations, and more. The department also participates in the Regional Auto Theft Task Force led by the California Highway Patrol and is a regional partner with the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Over nearly five years leading Harbor Police, Chief Fernandez has championed officer wellness and community engagement. She developed a five-year strategic plan focusing on four main areas: maximizing workforce potential, ensuring financial stability, engaging with community stakeholders, and protecting those the department serves. Along with the focus areas, she introduced a new mission and vision statement highlighting the department's daily objectives of proactive policing, community engagement, and serving with honor, professionalism, and dedication. She also continued the department's relationship with Perkins Elementary in Barrio Logan, which involves participating with students in the historically underserved school in fun activities like Cruise with a Cop, Jiu Jitsu with a Cop, Shop with a Cop, Trunk or Treat, and more. In 2025, Chief Fernandez was honored by the National Latina Businesswomen Association for Empowerment and Community Leadership. In 2024, MANA de San Diego presented her with their Legacy Award, and the San Diego Business Journal and San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce recognized her as a Latina Leader of Influence. In 2023, she was featured on the cover of Seapower magazine, the official publication of the Navy League of the United States.

Before becoming chief, Fernandez led various department units, including investigations and intelligence, professional standards, and training as well as the patrol and administrative sections. She also represented Harbor Police as a detective on the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and helped establish the department's Terrorism Liaison Officer program, which focuses on educating officers and members of the Port community on being aware of potential terrorism and criminal activities. Fernandez received the Port's 2018 Chairman's Cup Award for her peer support work in the department and was named Harbor Police Officer of the Year in 2008.

Outside of the Port, Fernandez serves or has served on several boards and committees, including the board of the San Diego Harbor Police Foundation, as treasurer for the San Diego Chiefs' and Sheriff's Association, as co-chair for the Area Maritime Security Committee, as chair for the Coast Guard City Committee, as a member of the California Maritime Security Council, and as a member of MANA.

Before and during her Harbor Police career, Fernandez served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1994 until her retirement in 2018. Her Coast Guard roles included criminal investigator and environmental and marine casualty investigator. Earlier, she worked as an emergency medical technician and a rescue scuba diver with the Santa Cruz County Search and Rescue Team. Chief Fernandez holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Colorado Technical University, is a graduate of the National Command & Staff College Leadership Program, and received her California POST Executive Certificate in April 2025. She is also an alumna of the MANA Latina Success Leadership Program, Command Leadership Program, LEAD San Diego - Influence, and National Command and Staff College.

Assistant Chief Geary will assume the role of Chief of Harbor Police and Public Safety on December 10, 2026. He has been with Harbor Police for nearly 25 years and graduated in September from the FBI National Academy, a 10-week residential leadership development program for experienced law enforcement officers. Before his promotion to assistant chief in May 2022, Geary oversaw Harbor Police administrative operations, including criminal investigations, internal affairs, homeland security, training, communications, special events, and special teams including the dive team. He also served as an instructor for law enforcement vessel and dive operations, marine firefighting, and HazMat and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives (CBRNE) response. Previously, Geary was the commanding officer for patrol operations, a police field supervisor and watch commander, a dive team supervisor, and a field training officer. He has also worked overseas with the U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in providing training to the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Coast Guard. Assistant Chief Geary received the Harbor Police Distinguished Service Medal in 2018 for his work with the dive team. In 1996, the Honolulu Police Department recognized Geary with the Civilian Medal of Valor for his actions in rescuing and saving three drowning victims in large surf off the coast of Oahu. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a U.S. Coast Guard Captain's License which includes an endorsement to operate submarines, and the California POST Management Certificate. Geary is currently enrolled in a Master of Public Safety Program through the University of Virginia.

Captain Jonathan George will assume the role of assistant police chief on December 10, 2026. He is a September 2024 graduate of the FBI National Academy and is currently a criminal justice instructor at the San Diego State University School of Public Affairs where he also serves as an Advisory Council member of the school. George has served as a Harbor Police captain since November 2021, overseeing Harbor Police administrative and patrol operations, including criminal investigations, internal affairs, community policing, training, communications, special events, and special teams including the dive team. Earlier in his career, he oversaw the MARTAC (SWAT) team as the unit's commander and was one of the founding members of the MARTAC team. Additionally, he served on the Harbor Police dive team, as a criminal investigations detective, and as an explosive detection K9 handler. Captain George is a two-time MADD Officer of the Year recipient. He joined Harbor Police in March 2001. Before that, he was a court deputy with the San Diego County Sheriff's Office and a field/court service officer with the San Diego County Marshals Office. He is a graduate of the California POST Executive Development Course and holds a master's degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice/law enforcement administration from Liberty University.