Mountain View announced June 7 that the city's next police chief will be Capt. Mike Canfield, who has been with the Mountain View Police Department for more than two decades.

Canfield currently serves as one of the department’s three police captains, and will succeed former Chief Chris Hsiung, who left the department in December to become San Mateo County's undersheriff.

Canfield will lead the department following 25 years of law enforcement experience and deep roots in the community. He graduated from Mountain View High School and has served with the Mountain View Police Department since 1999, City Manager Kimbra McCarthy said in a city statement. Canfield's start date as chief will be June 26.

“Throughout his tenure, he has demonstrated a commitment to collaboration, embodying the highest standards of public service, and taking immense pride in earning the trust of the community,” McCarthy said in the announcement. “We are fortunate to have the best law enforcement professional within our own ranks to fill this important position.”

Canfield said that he’s honored to serve as the city’s next chief, adding that he never could have imagined himself one day becoming police chief when he first started his policing career in 1999 at age 22.

"My goals were really ... learning how to do a complicated trade and really represent by value system and provide service to our community," Canfield told the Voice. "I have deep roots in Mountain View, so it was more than just a profession."

As he rose through the ranks, Canfield said learning from past chiefs inspired him to take on the new position.

"When I started seeing really exceptional leaders and the impact that they had on the organization, and their ability to work internally with the great people that we have to collaborate and change culture of the organization, it was very inspiring," he said.

After Hsiung left the position in December, former chief Max Bosel began serving as interim chief for the first half of 2023 until the vacancy could be filled.

Canfield was promoted to lieutenant in 2014, during which he served as a watch commander and oversaw the department’s personnel and training, as well as crisis negotiations and SWAT team, the city said. He was promoted again to captain in December 2020 and joined the city’s Public Safety Advisory Board as the department’s representative. The board was formed in the aftermath of intense protests following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, which spurred calls for police reform and greater accountability.

Canfield said the board was created right around the time he became captain, and has allowed the department and the community to address "significant, pressing issues related to policing, and related to policing in Mountain View."

"So many of the issues at the front of our community's concern, and the front of the industry, are being discussed, acted on, or making recommendations from our Public Safety Advisory Board," he said.

In his new job, Canfield said he plans to consult with his staff and the community extensively in order to establish his goals and priorities for the years ahead.

"I need to hear those voices before we start a real strategic roadmap," Canfield said. "Strategic plans work best when there's buy-in."

The recipient of multiple policing awards, Canfield is also a member of the California Police Chiefs Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Police Executive Research Forum, the city said. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia Southern University.

Canfield’s annual starting salary in his new position as chief is $334,000.