Mountain View's Top Cop Takes New Role

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office will soon have a new No. 2.

Sheriff-elect Christina Corpus on Monday announced it has hired Chris Hsiung to serve as undersheriff.

Hsiung has deep ties to the Peninsula and currently serves as the Mountain View Police Department’s Top Cop.

His retirement from the MVPD was announced Monday in a news release.

Hsiung grew up in Foster City, where he served as a police explorer and Community Service Officer.

The Hillsdale High School graduate has worked in law enforcement for 34 years, including 28 in Mountain View.

The first-generation San Mateo County native and son of immigrants will become the county's first Asian American undersheriff.

“Having the opportunity to serve the community I was raised in, and where I’m raising my children, is an incredible feeling,” Hsiung said in a statement.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Sheriff Corpus and the women and men of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. I share her vision for a safer San Mateo that’s built on trust and community partnership.”

Hsiung is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government program and has a master’s degree in eBusiness Management from Notre Dame de Namur.

“This is a renowned professional with a demonstrated commitment to enhancing community safety and officer wellness,” Sheriff-elect Corpus said in a statement.

“We share a modern approach to this work, and I know he will help me make the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office a premier law enforcement agency.”

Hsiung held investigative, SWAT/tactical, and leadership roles and served in every division of the MVPD.

“Chief Hsiung has helped shape what the Mountain View Police Department is today by improving transparency and building stronger relations with our residents,” City Manager Kimbra McCarthy said in a statement.

“Over his decades-long career with the Mountain View Police Department, Chief Hsiung has always made the safety and wellbeing of our community his highest priority. He has remained steadfast in championing enhanced public communications through emerging technology including social media early on, driving increased open dialogue and heightening public awareness within our diverse community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Hsiung described his decision to leave the Mountain View as "bittersweet."

“Becoming a police officer in Mountain View was my first full time job. Almost 28 years later, it’s truly bittersweet to close this chapter of serving a community, city staff, and police department that has been such a large part of my life,” Hsiung said.

“I’m grateful to City Manager Kimbra McCarthy for this opportunity to serve alongside a dynamic executive team, united in our efforts to bring the best services to those who live, work and visit Mountain View. It has been such an honor to lead the women and men of the Mountain View Police Department, true professionals who care deeply for our community and work so hard each day to keep Mountain View safe.”