Building 'Trust in Our Department' Is Top Priority, Says New San Jose Police Chief

San Jose Deputy Police Chief Anthony Mata, who was selected this week as the city's next head cop, says his top priority is regaining public trust in the department after a year of civil unrest and often tense relations with police.

"My vision is that every resident and every visitor here has that high confidence and trust in our department that we'll help them out whenever they need [it]," Mata said during a press conference Wednesday. "We’re always open to improve what we do, our processes. So yes, I’ve been part of that change and I will continue to do so to make our department better and our community safer."

Mata was unanimously confirmed as San Jose's chief of police by the City Council on Tuesday and will take the reins on March 22. He was one of four finalists for the position following former Police Chief Eddie Garcia's departure announcement last summer and the city's subsequent seven-month nationwide search to find his replacement. Garcia has since become Dallas' police chief.

Mata has served with the SJPD since 1996, slowly making his way up the ranks. He currently oversees various units, including the crime data center.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo on Wednesday threw his support behind Mata and the department he will soon lead.

"Let me emphasize this great department," he said. "That doesn't mean that we don't have our share of problems, that doesn't mean there are plenty of reforms that we need to enact in partnership with our community, but we have a great police department."

The department drew fierce criticism last summer for its heavy-handed response to mostly peaceful protests held in the city's downtown following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Two Northern California civil rights groups sued the city earlier this month, accusing the department of using excessive force. The class-action suit seeks reforms and compensation for at least 28 people who were injured as police used teargas, flashbang grenades, rubber bullets and batons to break up the crowd.

The plaintiffs include Derrick Sanderlin, a community activist and one-time police bias trainer, who was trying to de-escalate tensions between police and protesters when he was hit in the groin with a rubber bullet. Another protester lost his right eye in the melee.

Liccardo and other city leaders have since proposed various police reforms. To that end, Mata said he intends to work closely with communities of color in San Jose to build a shared vision of policing.

His hire, though, is not without controversy.

In 1999, Mata killed Odest Mitchell, a 48-year-old Black man suspected of participating in an armed robbery in Salinas. Mata said he thought Mitchell was carrying a firearm, and shot him four times as he tried running away from officers onto a freeway ramp.

Prosecutors later discovered Mitchell was holding a pair of sunglasses.

Mata was ultimately found to have acted “within the justifiable use-of-force provisions," according to the Salinas police chief.

On Wednesday, Mata referenced the incident, saying he still feels remorse.

"It was a traumatic incident that changed my life and it's something that I don't want any officer to go through," Mata said. "My continued thoughts and prayers go out to that family."

In a 2018 lawsuit, Mata was also accused of presiding over a police briefing in which Islamophobic comments were allegedly made to harass a Lebanese American officer — an incident Mata said happened when he was not in the room. And just this week, a former SJPD officer, who is transgender, told ABC7 News that Mata made unsettling comments to her in a conversation in which he refused to support her transition.

Assemblymembers Alex Lee and Evan Low, both Democrats who represent parts of the city, issued a joint statement opposing the city's selection of Mata. (Lee is also one of the plaintiffs in the suit against the department over its protest response.)

"At a time when the department needs bold leadership to move forward, San Jose has instead turned to an insider whose own record — killing an unarmed man, along with allegations of Islamophobia and transphobia — should immediately disqualify him from consideration," the two lawmakers said in the statement.

On Wednesday, Mata acknowledged the gap in trust and the steep challenges he and his department face.

“I stand before you today, not as a person with all the answers or with solutions, but as a person who is fully committed to working with you and finding solutions," he said. "We cannot underestimate the importance of continuing to build strong community ties. Together we will achieve our shared vision of policing here in San Jose.”