A life in law enforcement

O’Connor, 52, was born and raised in South San Francisco — where he still lives today. He went into a metal fabricating and welding after finishing school but changed his path in the early ’80s when his older brother Matt started working as a deputy sheriff. Recently, O’Connor again followed in his brothers footsteps when he was sworn in as the new police chief of Hillsborough. For O’Connor the position is an opportunity to continue the town’s tradition of good communication and working closely with all other city departments.

O’Connor grew up locally, graduating from South San Francisco High School, College of San Mateo and San Jose State University. The father of a 24-year-old son, first went into metal work. He enjoyed the freedom to be creative while solving problems. When his brother followed the family tradition of going into law enforcement, O’Connor started seeing the benefits of doing the same. Metal work, he figured, could be something fun to do on the side.

O’Connor first worked for the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department in 1985 working in the jails, which exposed him to many aspects of law enforcement, including larger positions. O’Connor left to join the Hillsborough department in 1986. Before getting hired, the chief at the time needed to be sure the brothers worked well together. O’Connor recalled the chief calling his father to make sure the boys weren’t prone to fighting.

Working with his brother wasn’t the only change for O’Connor when he began working at Hillsborough. He went from having 156 people below him in seniority to a very small city. O’Connor has appreciated the small city environment which has allowed employees from all departments to work together.

"It’s always a team perspective,” he said, adding that he believes it allows the city to respond to and fix issues better and faster.

O’Connor has held a number of positions in Hillsborough before being sworn in as chief last month. Shortly after his field training, another officer was giving up his police dog. O’Connor put in to work with the dog, and was partnered with one of only two female German Shepherds working in California at the time, Erle. O’Connor, who just celebrated 27 years with Hillsborough, moved up the ranks from there working as an officer, K9 officer, corporal, inspector, sergeant, lieutenant and, in 2002, as captain overseeing administrative services like the budget. Working for Matt O’Connor — who O’Connor quipped he loves like a brother — did mean things were a little different for the younger one. His reviews, for example, were conducted by others.

Now at the helm, O’Connor is looking forward to keeping the department moving in the same direction. When not overseeing the town’s police department, O’Connor enjoys cooking and riding his bike.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by email: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.