Mountain View, Calif. — Mountain View Police Chief Chris Hsiung has announced his intentions to retire in February 2023 after a 33-year career in law enforcement, including nearly 28 years with the Mountain View Police Department. Chief Hsiung has served as police chief for the last two years. His official retirement date is set for Feb. 10, 2023.
“Chief Hsiung has helped shape what the Mountain View Police Department is today by improving transparency and building stronger relations with our residents,” said City Manager Kimbra McCarthy. “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.”
In his time with Mountain View PD, Chief Hsiung has held a variety of investigative, SWAT/tactical, and leadership roles, serving in every division in the organization. He's also a nationally recognized speaker and writer on the area of digital engagement, crisis communications and adaptive leadership cultures. He 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 in Belmont, CA.
“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,” said Chief Hsiung. “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.”
As the City of Mountain View’s 11th police chief, Chief Hsiung has played a pivotal role in further connecting the Police Department and the community, including forming two ad-hoc advisory councils – the Latino Community Advisory Council and the Faith-Based Leadership Council. Under his leadership, the department embarked on a pilot program, known as the Behavioral Science Unit, to meet the mental health and social Mountain View City Hall • 500 Castro St. • Mountain View, CA 94041 • phone: 650-903-6300 • web: MountainView.gov service needs of community members before a mental health crisis makes it necessary for police interaction. Within the department, Chief Hsiung fostered a culture of adaptive thinking that challenged police department staff to think critically and progressively at creative ways to address the need to reform policing in ways that best serve Mountain View. He pioneered a Book Club – comprised of more than 30 members of the department – that focused on works that specifically examined best practices around leadership, inclusivity and diversity.
Chief Hsiung is a founding board member of "The Curve," a nonprofit formed by author/inspirational speaker Simon Sinek, police chiefs and sheriffs from across the country with the mission of providing the most current leadership development and resources to forward-thinking leaders in policing in order to modernize police culture from the inside-out.
Chief Hsiung also serves in several leadership positions on multiple boards, including his service as a co-chair on the International Association of Chiefs of Police Human & Civil Rights Committee and board member on the Global Advisory Council for the Crisis Ready Institute. Previously, Chief Hsiung served as president on the Government Social Media Leadership Council, board member for the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, and two terms as a commissioner on the City of San Mateo Community Relations Commission.
Former Mountain View Police Chief Max Bosel will temporarily return as interim chief while the next steps are determined for filling MVPD’s top leadership position. Chief Bosel was originally appointed as Mountain View’s police chief in August 2014 and retired in December 2020.
Photo of Police Chief Chris Hsiung
Editor’s Note: Availability for media interviews via Zoom or phone for Chief Hsiung is between 2-4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19. Contact Police PIO Katie Nelson at 650-861-8556 or policepio@mountainview.gov to schedule a time.
About the City of Mountain View
Located between the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Francisco Bay, Mountain View is a diverse community with an estimated population of 83,864. Mountain View covers just over 12 square miles, featuring over 1,000 acres of park and wildlife areas including the 750-acre wildlife and recreation area called Shoreline at Mountain View. In the heart of Silicon Valley, Mountain View is home to a vibrant downtown and headquarters to many nationally and internationally known corporations including Google, LinkedIn, Intuit and NASA’s Ames Research Center. For more information, visit MountainView.gov.
