Full Notification

The Santa Barbara Police Department is proud to welcome home Officer Matt Tonello from his fourth combat deployment overseas as a US Marine Reservist. Staff Sergeant Tonello is scheduled to arrive at the Santa Barbara Airport on Friday, March 16, at 2:38 p.m. on United flight 5317.

Officer Tonello has been a Marine for fourteen years, four years active duty and ten as a reservist. He joined the Marine Corps with the intention of serving as a military policeman and then becoming a police officer at the end of his enlistment. He has since been deployed three times to Iraq and most recently to Afghanistan. He has been an officer with the Santa Barbara Police Department for six years.

Officer Tonello was born in Santa Barbara, where all of his grandparents continue to reside, and grew up there until moving to Los Alamos as a child. He comes from a family that is dedicated to public service. His father is a retired SBPD sergeant and current supervising investigator for the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office. He also has an uncle who is a detective with the Ventura Police Department and a brother-in-law who is a detective with the San Luis Obispo Police Department. Officer Tonello is the single father of a special needs son who is eight-years old. His son lived with Officer Tonello’s parents while he was deployed.