New San Mateo County assistant sheriff, undersheriff sworn in

“What I found in both of them is Chris and Ryan are both collaborators and possess exemplary leadership, integrity and compassion,” Corpus said at the Feb. 28 swearing-in ceremony in Redwood City.

Hsiung is the first Asian American undersheriff in San Mateo County history. He grew up in Foster City and became an officer with the Mountain View Police Department, serving there for 28 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and behavioral science from San Jose State University and a master’s in e-business management from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont. He also graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government program. Corpus picked Hsiung for his modern approach to policing and his local roots.

“I realized our visions were paramount and aligned in many ways,” Corpus said. “I was most impressed with how genuine of a human being he was and how he spoke from his heart.”

Hsiung is credited with building a stronger relationship between the Mountain View Police Department and the community in part by forming two ad-hoc committees — the Latino Community Advisory Council and the Faith-Based Leadership Council. He also helped launch the department’s Behavioral Science Unit, a pilot program meant to improve police responses in cases of mental health distress. His goal is to get to know people in the department and find ways to help them, along with serving the rich and diverse community.

“I’m excited to join this organization,” Hsiung said. “I’m a San Mateo County kid, and in many ways, I’m coming home and serving the community I grew up in.”

Hsiung’s talk with her resonated because of their alignment on focusing on community service and serving everyone in their time of need. Corpus has said her focus is on increasing mental health services, officer wellness, community outreach and changing culture.

“I heard that from Sheriff Corpus, so that’s what made the decision so hard,” Hsiung said. “I loved my career in Mountain View but, at the same time, I understood she was going in the exact same direction, and the impact to be able to do that on the county level was just incredible.”

Monaghan will serve as assistant sheriff of operations. He previously was the chief of the Tiburon Police Department and a 26-year veteran of the San Mateo Police Department. He said the leadership team has a unified vision about creating an environment where employees feel valued and cared about as individuals.

“Our leadership team of the sheriff, undersheriff and myself really have an aligned vision about what service looks like not only for the communities we serve that are so diverse but also for our diverse workforce and doing what we can to make it an even better organization than it already is,” Monaghan said.

Corpus knew Monaghan from his time with the San Mateo Police Department and found him to be a caring and passionate person with no ego.

“Ryan liked the work he was doing in Tiburon, but his heart was still here in San Mateo County,” Corpus said. “He lit up when he spoke about the initiatives he would like to implement for law enforcement.”

Monaghan said the Sheriff’s Office is already working on increasing mental health services for people in jail to increase rehabilitation and bolstering mental health response teams in the community. He is also interested in programs focused on employee wellness and well-being, noting many first responders have mental health issues that affect their daily lives, which the Sheriff’s Office wants to address. He wanted to show care and compassion to address employees’ physical and mental well-being.

“The sheriff and the leadership team are 100% committed to bringing in some new and innovative ways we can address mental health inside our organization,” Monaghan said.