New police chief named
City Manager Kelly McAdoo in July appointed Mark Koller chief of police, a position he had held on an acting and interim basis since August 2016.
The selection of Koller, a second-generation Hayward police officer, as the city’s 14th chief of police, capped a national search and competitive application process that included finalist interviews with panels of Hayward community members, HPD command staff, sworn officers and professional staff, and Hayward municipal government department heads. He was sworn in at a public ceremony on Aug. 21.
Koller, 54, had demonstrated the vision, demeanor and respect for the public necessary of a police chief in a diverse city that values community-oriented policing and during a period of heightened expectations of accountability on the part of local law enforcement, McAdoo said in announcing the appointment.
“Mark has earned the confidence and admiration of his colleagues within HPD, across city government and in the community at large by being approachable, forthright and honest, being adaptable, open to change and ready to confront new challenges,” she said. “I believe whole-heartedly that we have, in Chief Koller, the best possible person for the job and the best person to lead the department for years to come.”
The new chief called the appointment an honor of a lifetime—noting both he and his father, retired Inspector David Koller, have been career Hayward police officers. “This is the highest honor to have an opportunity to give back to this community, a city that is so much a part of me, and to lead a department which my father also has served and which I have served throughout my entire adult career,” he said.
