Introducing One of Oakland's Newest Police Officers: Matthew Lopez

In the sunny conference room at police headquarters, Officer Matthew Lopez, on the job only three weeks, arrived a bit out of breath.  

“Sorry for the wait, but I had to go out on a call,” he said, as though he’d been working there for a long time. 

Officer Lopez came to Oakland with his mom and dad and younger brother as an eighth grader.  He went on to Indian Hills and graduated in 2013.

The inspiration to pursue public service came from his own family, he said.

“My uncle was a Major in the Army, stationed at Fort Mead,” he said. “He was one of my heroes.  Right out of Indian Hills, I joined the Army National Guard.  The Guard offered me the structure that I liked and money for attending college.”

Lopez initially served in the Horn of Africa, Africa’s west coast, as a medic.  When he returned to New Jersey and enrolled at William Paterson University, he thought of medicine as a career path.   

“I was thinking of medicine as a career,” he said, “because I’ve always wanted to work to help people.”

But as he progressed through his course work, his interest in police work intensified.

“I liked the idea of working on a force,” he said. “It would give me a chance to serve a community and help people.  I liked that.”

In the six-and-a-half years he served in the Guard, he worked at a job, got an education and was able to choose a career path.

“After college, I entered the Bergen Police Academy,” he said.  “And even though Covid-19 caused a delay, I graduated just this December, 2020, and got this post with the Oakland Police.  It’s amazing.” 

Lopez spoke about his family proudly, saying he grew up with his younger brother in a home where there was structure.

“My mother and father were sweethearts in Colombia.  She came here in the 1980’s.  My father came in 1992, and they got married.  We had a safe home.  My parents were loving and gave us good support.”

His dad currently has his own business in the design of patterns for computer programs.  His mom works nearby in Franklin Lakes.

“My younger brother graduated from Ramapo High School and is now a student at Rutgers and wants to go to law school,” Lopez said.  “We had goals and took advantage of the educational opportunities.”

Three weeks into his new job, Officer Lopez already feels that he chose the right path in police work.  Currently he is being partnered with a more experienced member of Oakland’s Police Department, learning the daily procedures. 

“I’m seeing things from a different vantage point now that I’m on the job,” he said.  “Some of the work is eye-opening, like the car fire I was called to in the middle of the night with the sky all lit up.”

During his service in the National Guard and while attending college, he met a woman who plays an important role in his life to this day.  He looks forward to the future and owning his own home soon.

Oaklanders think highly of the officers who patrol our streets, help us in perilous times, act as role models for our children.  Officer Matthew Lopez will no doubt live up to that standard.

Terri Casaleggio is a correspondent for the newsletter.