Burlingame City Manager Lisa K. Goldman is pleased to announce the appointment of Raj Vaswani as the City’s next police chief. Following a thorough and extensive search, including interviews with other police chiefs and the entire Burlingame Department Head team, City Manager Goldman selected Mr. Vaswani to serve as the new police chief. He will be replacing former Police Chief Michael Matteucci, who retired in December 2024 after 33 years of service with the Burlingame Police Department.
“I am delighted to welcome Raj Vaswani to the City of Burlingame and look forward to working with him,” said City Manager Lisa Goldman. “With his wealth of experience in law enforcement, Raj was my top pick and was the unanimous choice of the City’s department head team. I’m confident his expertise and commitment will make him a tremendous asset to the organization and the Burlingame community.”
Chief Vaswani has over 31 years of experience in law enforcement for the San Francisco Police Department, most recently working as deputy chief of the Special Operations Bureau. Prior to that, he served on SFPD’s Command Staff as Commander of Investigations and deputy chief of investigations. Also, as a police captain, he held several assignments, including citywide night captain, motors/traffic unit, and served as commanding officer for two stations, Park and Bayview. Earlier in his career as a lieutenant, he was a watch commander in the Mission District and later worked in the Administration Bureau on business permitting, special projects, and facilities. He eventually served in the Chief of Staff’s Office, overseeing the Legal Division. Chief Vaswani holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from San Jose State University and is a graduate of the San Francisco Police Department’s Leadership Development Institute (2019–2020 cohort).
“I am honored to serve as Burlingame’s next police chief and look forward to working alongside the dedicated members of the Burlingame Police Department to keep our community safe,” said Chief Vaswani. “I’m also excited to collaborate with the City team to plan for the future. Additionally, I’m committed to strengthening partnerships with our residents, local businesses, and schools to ensure we continue building a strong, connected community.”
Mr. Vaswani will begin his service with the Burlingame Police Department on August 4 and be introduced to the community at the next City Council meeting on Monday, August 18, 2025, at 7:00 PM.