Bryan Matthews, a career Hayward police officer, has been appointed Hayward Chief of Police and has taken command of a department he had led in a temporary and acting capacity since September 2022.
Matthews, whose appointment was effective Wednesday, Jan. 3, succeeds Chief Toney Chaplin, who announced last month his intention to retire and bring to a close a 33-year career in policing. Chaplin joined the Hayward Police Department as Chief on Sept. 3, 2019. He had been on work-related injury leave.
“I am thrilled to be able to promote Bryan Matthews to a leadership position for which he has worked so hard to prepare himself. Bryan grew up in Hayward and the surrounding areas and brings a deep sense of personal commitment to this new role of Chief after serving the Department and City for many years,” Hayward City Manager Kelly McAdoo said.
“On behalf of the City and the Hayward community, I also want to express our gratitude to Chief Chaplin for his service and sharing with our department and organization his wealth of professional law enforcement experience,” City Manager McAdoo added.
Chief Matthews, whose appointment will be celebrated at a public swearing-in ceremony later this month, takes permanent charge of a department with 197 sworn police officer and 136.5 non-sworn professional staff positions.
“I am truly humbled and honored to serve as Hayward’s next Chief of Police,” Chief Matthews said. “I appreciate the trust City Manager McAdoo has in me and am grateful for the opportunity to continue to give back to the community that, in many ways, raised me. Hayward holds a very special place in my heart, and I look forward to continuing to move the Hayward Police Department forward through listening, strengthening relationships, implementing problem-solving strategies, and providing high levels of customer service.”
Chief Matthews began his law enforcement career in 1999 and has served his hometown, the City of Hayward, for 24 consecutive years. Over the course of his service, he worked a variety of assignments, including Patrol, Training, Gang Investigations, SWAT, Community Policing, Internal Affairs, Emergency Preparedness and as the department’s liaison with the community for policy innovation and alternative response models.
Chief Matthews earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from California State University, Hayward, now California State University, East Bay, and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Columbia Southern University.
He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the California POST Command College, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program.
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