Chief Matthew Verderosa to Retire after 34 Years in Law Enforcement

Chief Matthew R. Verderosa announced today that he will retire from the United States Capitol Police (USCP) on May 31, 2019, after 34 years in law enforcement, including three years as the Chief of Police.

In a letter to the Capitol Police Board, Chief Verderosa noted that, "One of the proudest days of my life was when I was sworn-in as Chief of Police. I want to thank the Capitol Police Board for giving me the opportunity to lead the employees of the United States Capitol Police. Leading the Department has been the capstone of my career. It has been an honor to serve the Congress and the Department since September 12, 1986."

Chief Verderosa began his law enforcement career in 1985 by serving with the Supreme Court of the United States Police. In 1986, he transferred to the United States Capitol Police, and served in a number of roles in support of the Department's mission while rising up the ranks. (Please see his full bio here.)

As Chief of Police, Verderosa has focused on the Department's overall mission to protect and serve the Congress, especially in the wake of the June 14, 2017, Congressional baseball practice shooting. The Department has continued to train its personnel and focus additional resources on the identification and mitigation of threats through both investigation and proactive preparedness. He also implemented new security measures designed to keep threats out of Congressional facilities including new garage security in the House Office Buildings, the addition of pre-screeners at building access points, and utilization of enhanced screening portals. He has worked to ensure that the Department is taking every measure possible to maintain security of the Capitol Complex while allowing the legislative process to continue to function in an open environment and protecting individuals' First Amendment rights.

Under his leadership, the USCP received its sixth consecutive accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). The Department was awarded CALEA's Gold Standard with Excellence – the highest rating a law enforcement agency can receive during the evaluation process, which is reserved for Departments that exhibit strong organizational health. The USCP was further recognized for having been accredited for 15 or more continuous years with the enhanced Certificate of Meritorious Accreditation. Receiving this distinction demonstrates how much the Department has grown since receiving its first accreditation in November 2002, during which time Chief Verderosa served as the Department's first Accreditation Manager.

"The mission of the Department is simple. "We protect the legislative process and the consequences of our success cannot be understated. I will miss the mission and the people a great deal, however, I'm retiring with the knowledge that I'm leaving the Department in the very capable hands of my experienced command staff," said Chief Verderosa.

"The Department is grateful to Chief Verderosa for his 33 years of dedicated service in support of our mission. As the 9th Chief of Police, he has had a great impact on the success of our operations and he leaves behind a great legacy of outstanding policing and public service. We will miss him and wish him well in his well-earned retirement," said Steven A. Sund, Assistant Chief of Police.

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