Matthew D. Hanley

Colonel Matthew Hanley has been a member of the Virginia State Police since 1993. On February 26, 2025, he was formally appointed Superintendent of the Virginia State Police by the 74th Governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin. As the agency head for the largest police department in the Commonwealth of Virginia, he leads a diverse staff of over 3000 sworn and professional personnel assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Bureau of Field Operations, Bureau of Administrative and Support Services, Bureau of Strategic Governance, Public Relations Office, and the Executive Protection Division. Colonel Hanley is responsible for developing and implementing statewide law enforcement strategies for approximately 8.8 million people across 95 counties and 38 independent cities. 

Prior positions within the Virginia State Police include Director of the Bureau of Field Operations, Director of the Office of Performance Management and Internal Controls, Training Officer, Assistant Division Commander, Area Commander, Sergeant, and Trooper. 

Colonel Hanley has a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School (Center for Homeland Defense and Security), a bachelor’s degree from Norwich University, and is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s National Criminal Justice Command College and the FBI National Executive Institute. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs Police, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Board of Advisors for the Virginia Public Safety Innovation Center.