Chris Hsiung
Undersheriff of San Mateo County

Chris Hsiung serves as the Undersheriff of San Mateo County, bringing more than 30 years of public safety and executive leadership experience from throughout the Bay Area to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

A respected retired Police Chief, Hsiung previously held the role of Undersheriff from February 2023 to June 2024. He returns to the Sheriff’s Office at a pivotal moment, where he will focus on organizational healing, leadership development and operational excellence during his temporary eight-month appointment. Sheriff Ken Binder selected Undersheriff Hsiung for the role, noting his integrity, servant-leadership approach and deep understanding of the Sheriff’s Office.

As Chief of the Mountain View Police Department, he led a progressive policing organization and oversaw a broad portfolio of investigative, tactical and administrative functions. During his tenure, he supervised and was a detective in multiple investigative units, including service on the FBI REACT High Tech Crimes Task Force, where he collaborated with federal partners on technology-driven crime, cyberterrorism and emerging digital threats. He also spent 13 years on the department’s SWAT team in roles ranging from operator to tactical commander.

Undersheriff Hsiung is a longtime San Mateo County resident, a graduate of Hillsdale High School and he began his policing career at the Foster City Police Department as a Police Explorer.

In addition to his public safety career, Undersheriff Hsiung is an internationally recognized speaker and writer on organizational culture, adaptive leadership and executive management. He co-chairs the International Association of Chiefs of Police Human and Civil Rights Committee and serves in board advisory roles for the University of Virginia Center for Public Safety and Justice, the Future Policing Institute and the Crisis Ready Institute.

Undersheriff Hsiung is also a founding board member of The Curve, a national nonprofit leadership organization he co-founded with Simon Sinek and a network of modern minded police leaders from across the country.

He looks forward to fostering an innovative and supportive work culture, investing in the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office and supporting Sheriff Binder in ensuring the Office is positioned for long-term success.