“I’ve always been part of the community,” Newton Police Chief McMains told Fig City News two weeks before his scheduled retirement on January 8, 2026. His first community was Dunlap, Iowa, where he was born and raised on his family’s farm in a rural town where people helped one another.
From there, responding to the inspiration to serve, he joined the Marine Corps in 1989. During his four years in the Corps, Chief McMains was deployed to the Middle East in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, where he served in the Military Police and taught firearms. About his time of service he said, “I dearly loved it.”
After his honorable discharge in 1994, he worked for the telephone company and then joined the Newton Police Department (NPD) in 1997. In the course of the next twenty-eight years, he was assigned and promoted to a wide range of duties, beginning as a Patrol Officer in Upper Falls, where he described himself as a “proactive officer,” focused on stopping cars! As a member of the NPD, he held assignments including bicycle officer, SWAT Team member, firearms instructor, night Detective Sergeant, and day Detective Sergeant.
Although Chief McMains appears mild-mannered and self-effacing, his career as a detective was remarkable for the high profile complex cases he helped solve. Notwithstanding Newton’s reputation as one of the safest communities in the country, it has been the scene of some headline-generating criminal cases. Working with the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office, he was key in uncovering the murderers in a notable homicide in 2006. An employee at a local insurance firm had been shot while he was sitting in his car in the agency garage. Using his phone tracking skills, Chief McMains helped to identify the two people responsible for the homicide, and he received official commendations for his work on that case. The FBI also recognized his work in resolving a number of bank robberies in Newton and Wellesley in 2013.
Among his roles in the Newton Police Department, Chief McMains has been Internal Affairs Officer (responsible for dealing with complaints against department officers), Lieutenant, and Executive Officer — where he has worked under three Newton Police Chiefs. He was promoted to Captain in 2022, and then to Superintendent. Before being named the NPD’s Chief, he was named Acting Chief in 2023 and 2024. Finally, in December 2024, he was appointed to the role of Chief — a job he had “never aspired to.”
Community leaders speak highly of him, crediting his low-key, respectful style with nurturing a positive police presence. He always signs his emails and communications, “Respectfully.” Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) of Boston honored several area police chiefs for the partnership in combating anti-semitism. In honoring Chief McMains, CJP wrote:
“The Newton Police Department’s prioritization of community engagement has been highly beneficial to its Jewish and interfaith communities. Its proactive, well-rounded approach to community relations has been imperative in responding both in day-to-day inquiries and emergent incidents. The department is a valued partner to CSI in Massachusetts’ largest Jewish community.”
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan commented on the Chief’s pending retirement, saying, “For decades, Chief McMains has demonstrated exceptional commitment to protecting the public safety of the Newton community. I very much valued his partnership and commitment to working collaboratively with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. I congratulate Chief McMains on his well-deserved retirement and wish him a healthy and happy new chapter.”
Chief McMains exemplified his commitment to supporting the community when he came to Adams Street on August 27, the second time that the City had painted over the Italian-flag-colored stripe in the middle of the street, replacing it with a double-yellow line. Teresa Gentile Sauro, president of the Nonantum Neighborhood Association, said, “He was so nice and very respectful. He understood how upset we were.” The police assigned to the stripe-removal project gave neighbors a chance to take pictures and express their anger.
The Chief has raised concerns about meeting the volume of community needs. In 2025, his department received 43,000 calls from residents dealing with domestic violence and disputes, aggressive acts, and assaults — all of which must be investigated by a limited number of officers. While they are meeting many local needs, police are risking their lives as peace keepers and are also missing holidays and family events. In order to help the police in their effort to protect the city, Chief McMains encourages people to play their own role in community safety by letting police know if they see something suspicious.
At age fifty-six, George McMains is uncertain about his direction after 12:01AM on January 9, but his plans include helping to care for his two-year-old granddaughter Juniper, helping veterans, and taking yoga classes. He admits that he might need to take lessons in the language of two-year-olds, which he says his daughter Shaylin and his wife have mastered. The McMains also have a son, Owen, who is not a policeman. In the past, he and his wife, Lisa, have raised guide dogs, but they have found it hard to give them up when they were ready for service. “I don’t know what I will do [in retirement],” he concluded, “but I want to do something meaningful.”
