New chief in San Mateo

“To those who reside, work and frequent the city of San Mateo I can’t tell you how honored I am to serve you,” he said in a speech. “If the class and professionalism the men and women of the San Mateo Police Department have displayed over the last couple of weeks is any indication, there’s no doubt the department will continue to excel and achieve tremendous things for this city.” 

Barberini replaced longtime San Mateo police chief Susan Manheimer, who retired at the end of last year after 19 years in the role. Barberini in his speech applauded her service and thanked her for helping him transition to the position. 

“It’s no secret that the police chiefs within the county have played a tremendous role in preparing me for this opportunity. The manner in which we eagerly collaborate with one another has helped me tremendously,” he said. “This is especially true of Chief Manheimer, who not only left a strong capable department, but continually makes herself available to me for questions and advice.” 

Dozens of police officers lined the walls of the council chambers during the ceremony. Barberini’s father, also named Ed, pinned the chief badge on his son.

Prior to coming to San Mateo, Barberini was the San Bruno police chief for five years and was Millbrae’s police chief for two years prior as a representative of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office where he served for more than two decades. 

In San Bruno, Barberini oversaw responses to two high-profile incidents including the YouTube shooting in which a disgruntled user of the video sharing platform shot and wounded three people at its San Bruno headquarters before turning the weapon on herself April 3, 2018. The other more recent incident was a shooting at the Shops of Tanforan in July in which two groups of teens shot at each other, causing a large-scale police response as initial reports described it as an active shooter situation. Police training for such a situation was credited for a quick resolution of the incident.

At the Sheriff’s Office, Barberini worked in administration, transportation, corrections, field operations, court security and working on the bomb squad. He also served as director of the county’s Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security, according to a city press release. 

As San Mateo’s chief of police, Barberini oversees a roughly $47 million annual budget for a department that’s comprised of approximately 170 law enforcement personnel, including 115 sworn officers.

A lifelong resident of San Mateo County, Barberini lives in Belmont with his wife Jackie. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, and was last year’s president of the San Mateo County Police Chiefs and Sheriff Association, according to the release.

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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