About

Matt began his law enforcement career in 1982 with the Saint Paul Police Department, where he served as Police Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Commander, Senior Commander, Chief of Staff, and Assistant Chief of Operations. He retired as Ramsey County Sheriff in 2017.

Matt was twice nominated as National Sheriff of the Year and, on both occasions, received the Medal of Merit from the National Sheriffs' Association. His accomplishments as Sheriff include reorganizing the department around a clear vision, mission, values, and beliefs to improve effectiveness and efficiency; co-founding the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council; launching best-practice standards, comprehensive training, and cooperative hiring initiatives; and engaging the community to build trust and prevent crime.

The hallmark of Matt's tenure as Sheriff was a focused effort to strengthen trust between the community and police officers. Listening to residents, he learned they wanted departments to hire for character and train for competence. In response, he launched a recruitment and hiring initiative built around four observable character traits: trustworthy, truthful, responsible, and respectful. The initiative increased community trust and improved officer work habits, including reduced sick time usage, fewer disciplinary actions, and more commendations.

Matt is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and holds degrees from the University of Northwestern (B.S.), the University of Saint Thomas (M.A.), Hamline University (D.P.A.), and the University of Oxford (Ph.D. in Criminology). The Centre for Criminology at Oxford invited Matt to develop a replicable model for increasing police trust by identifying and aligning community values with those of the police — work that led to a broader framework for building trust through shared-values recruitment, selection, and training.

Matt has ten years of experience as an adjunct professor at Saint Mary's University, the University of Northwestern, and Hamline University. He is the author of three books:

• Built for Trust: Building Community Trust in Policing
• Built for Trust: A Guide for Policymakers, Public Safety, and Community Leaders
• Built for Trust: An Executive Primer for Policymakers, Public Safety, and Community Leaders

He also co-authored Character-Based Police Officer Selection for the U.S. Department of Justice, and his doctoral research includes The Influence of Higher Education on Police Officer Work Habits and Increasing Police Trust through Normative Alignment. He has published several additional articles on policing and community trust.

Matt has assisted numerous organizations across the country in increasing trust and performance, including:

• Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
• City of Plano Police Department
• Minnesota Department of Public Safety
• City of Bloomington Police Department
• City of Falcon Heights
• City of New Brighton Department of Public Safety
• City of Maplewood Police Department
• Metro Transit Police Department
• Minnesota Chiefs of Police

Specialties: Government Administration, Public Safety, Criminal Justice, Higher Education, Non-Profit Boards, and Athletic Coaching