Happy Retirement, Detective Matthews!
Published: 12/28/2023
Today we said goodbye to Detective Greg Matthews of our Traffic Bureau. Detective Matthews began working for the Riverside Police Department in 1994. He worked as a Patrol Officer, as an Accident Investigator and as a Field Training Officer. He was a founding member of the Police Technology Unit, a founding member of the Technical Services Unit’s Bomb Search Team, has been a member of the Major Accident Investigation Team since 1999 and has been a member of the Collision Review Board since 2002.
Due to Greg’s technical expertise, his interest in photography and his work ethic, he has amassed a large number of accomplishments during his time with the Department. Some of these accomplishments include:
- Greg developed a method to write Police Reports electronically, which was used Department-wide for over 20 years.
- He was part of the development team for the use of Mobile Data
- Computers in Police vehicles as well as in-car camera systems.
- He was involved with or solely developed the policies for the Department’s email system, traffic investigation and electronic data recorder downloading
- He founded RPDOnline.org in 1999 making the Department one of the first in the Nation with an on-line presence, and established RPD as one of the first agencies on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
- He created an online version of the Safe In His Arms memorial
- Greg created multiple guides to help patrol officers with traffic related investigations.
- He became an expert in crime-scene documentation systems which he utilized when tasked with documenting multiple major crime scenes
- He was instrumental in the development of a program known as “Know Your Limit”. This is an educational program in which participants from the local bars are provided the opportunity to use a breathalyzer device to help them correlate their BAC with their perceived intoxication level.
- Greg is an avid photographer and has often been tasked with taking photographs for major events, including the funerals of fallen officers.
Greg has been awarded Policeman of the Year by the Riverside Optimist Club, Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars District 23, recognized by the California State Assembly for his arrests of taggers, by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his efforts to combat DUI, and has twice received Riverside’s Public Safety Officer of the Month.
His many accomplishments, countless hours working on projects, work ethic and his dedication to the Riverside Police Department earned him the Distinguished Service Medal.
The RPD Family would like to recognize Greg Matthews’ many contributions, congratulate him on a distinguished career, and wish him all the best in a well-earned retirement.
