Burlingame’s new chief is prioritizing community, traffic 

Open dialogue and transparent explanations of police actions can go a long way in creating and maintaining a beneficial relationship where officers view themselves as safekeepers of their city, Vaswani said. 

“When our officers go out and about, their mindset is really that they’re going out there as a guardian of the city,” he said. 

Vaswani succeeds former Burlingame Police Chief Michael Matteucci and has been on the job for a little over two months. Previously, he served an extensive 31-year tenure with the San Francisco Police Department, working a variety of roles — undercover, in the legal division, and as a command captain in the Haight-Ashbury and Bayview neighborhoods, among others. 

Despite the geographic and population differences between a Peninsula city like Burlingame and the neighborhoods of San Francisco, Vaswani said in many ways, the approach to policing can be similar, focused on community needs. 

“San Francisco is larger and denser, but when it comes down to neighborhood issues, a lot of the community expects the same,” he said. “They want a responsive police department that addresses neighborhood issues. It could be anywhere from burglaries, traffic safety for kids to get to and from school, and just thriving downtown.” 

There are also Burlingame-specific issues that Vaswani hopes to tackle, he said, citing police visibility and prompt enforcement against any crimes that occur in the city’s two business districts — Burlingame Avenue and Broadway. 

“If there are crimes that occur … we address them quickly, and we do everything in our power to make sure that the downtown’s safe, so the merchants can continue to thrive and it makes it an attractive place to do business,” Vaswani said. 

Because of Burlingame’s thriving and well-maintained business districts and a large hotel presence on the Bayfront, the city is often a hot spot for Peninsula tourist activity, leading to increased traffic and density. 

Traffic safety, in particular, has been an increasing focus of city residents, as three pedestrians have died in traffic-related accidents in Burlingame since last September. The Police Department is currently testing for another traffic officer, Vaswani said. 

“Traffic is a priority,” he said. “It’s not just enforcement, a lot of it is education outreach. We work really closely with the school district … any opportunity we have to educate and have that conversation on traffic safety, we explore that.” 

As police departments across the country struggle to retain adequate numbers of officers, Burlingame is no exception, particularly given the high cost of living and housing in the area. 

Creating a supportive environment for the force is a first priority when addressing that issue, Vaswani said — and he often asks residents to pass along compliments given to him about the force directly to dispatchers and officers. 

“What can I do to make sure the cops are supported,” he asked, “and that they have the tools to do their job, and that they feel a sense of belonging in not only the police department but the community?”