'He’s going to kill someone': Former Goodyear police officer exposed for extreme speeding

GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Traffic moves briskly on and off Interstate 10 in Goodyear, with drivers synchronized on the streets of the city. But on dozens of occasions from 2023 to 2025, one officer defied speed limits.

Chad Matthews was hired by the Goodyear Police Department in 2022 after nearly a decade as a sheriff’s deputy in Washington state. Matthews came to Goodyear as an instructor for "Below 100," an initiative to stop preventable deaths in the line of duty by following five rules: wear a belt, wear a vest, watch your speed, "What’s important now?" and "Complacency kills!"

However, it was his speeding that cost him his job. Goodyear Police Chief Brian Issitt is speaking bluntly about his former officer. Internal investigations and Matthews' own body camera footage expose extremely high speeds. Ultimately, Matthews resigned right before the department could fire him.

What they're saying:

In an exclusive interview, Issitt was asked how fortunate the public is that no one was hurt or killed. "That is 100 percent true, there were no collisions, but I don't believe on running a police department based off of luck," Issitt said.

Issitt reviewed the internal investigation into Matthews in May 2025, specifically 37 incidents of excessive speeding while on duty. The Goodyear report reveals that in all but 10 of the incidents, Matthews was speeding at 100 mph or higher. Findings revealed cases in which Matthews failed to stop at red lights and stop signs or did not use his emergency lights and siren when required.

"Our officer was not doing his job to protect the public. He was actually putting them in danger," Issitt said.

The Goodyear Police Department audited body camera footage of Matthews’ Priority 1 calls for service, which are emergencies of the utmost importance. The department sustained allegations of conduct unbecoming, violation of the emergency response policy, and unsafe driving.

"It doesn't matter how fast you get to a call, if you never make it there," Issitt said.

The backstory:

Body camera recordings show three of the most egregious speeding incidents. On Nov. 26, 2023, Matthews reached 124 mph while driving on Loop 303, nearly double the speed limit, while responding to an assault at approximately 2 a.m. He had his lights on but did not use his siren. Department policy mandates the use of both while emergency driving.

On Jan. 28, 2024, Matthews was documented driving 127 mph, his fastest known speed on I-10, while heading to an accident at 1 a.m. The investigation says he also failed to stop at a red light.

On Jan. 5, 2025, Matthews hit 113 mph while on the way to assist another agency. This time he did activate emergency lights and sirens. When he arrived at the scene, he got out of the car casually in no rush, even checking his phone. On 20 occasions while responding to emergency calls, Matthews used lights without the siren or used them inconsistently.

When asked if Matthews did not understand the policy or was simply ignoring it, Issitt responded, "That would probably be a better question for Officer Matthews." Matthews declined to comment on the speeding incidents.

Complaints against Matthews came from both citizens and two of his fellow officers. Per the internal review, one officer said Matthews nearly hit them in an intersection when he failed to stop at a red light.

The findings show a text from a fellow officer that read: "Chad did it again. He just came blowing through intersection lights but no siren… if something’s not done about his driving, he is going to kill someone plain and simple."

Issitt called the internal complaint, received in January 2025, very concerning. "As soon as we received that information then we were able to start looking backwards at some of the pattern that, quite frankly, I was unaware of, but we were able to see a pattern of driving behavior that then led to a deeper investigation," Issitt said.

Dig deeper:

In October 2024, a civilian filed a complaint after spotting Matthews allegedly speeding through two stop signs on Estrella Parkway without lights and sirens. The complainant said, "It was pretty appalling to me, seeing an officer kind of go that fast through traffic."

The witness believed there was a front passenger in the vehicle. Investigators later found Matthews had his mother with him for a civilian ride-along.

Records show another internal investigation regarding Matthews’ unsafe driving occurred in 2023. At that time, he was still on probation. The report shows he drove aggressively, speeding through a gore area to pass slower cars on the way to an off-duty job. The allegation of conduct unbecoming was sustained. Eventually, he received an eight-hour suspension, had to take a class, and his take-home vehicle privileges were suspended for two months.

In his last internal investigation, Matthews made closing statements, saying he failed himself and the agency by not being more knowledgeable of department policy. He also stated, "I kind of have always been going at the speed of light, trying to accomplish everything in a moment’s time. It’s my personality."

Issitt says his staff will do better at catching dangerous driving behaviors. "Internal or external complaints are now moving up through our chain of command," Issitt said. "So that more supervisors can have eyes on the complaints and are able to really find if there are patterns or to make sure the appropriate steps are being taken to ensure that we are acting in the best interest of our community."

Last November, the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZ POST) Board moved to initiate proceedings against Matthews' certification.

"Officer Matthews accepted responsibility for his actions and driving behavior but attributed his actions and behavior to not understanding policy and the training and practices he learned while a peace officer in Washington," said complaint specialist Mike Foley.

In total, it took nearly 40 cases of excessive speeding to result in a hard look at Matthews. Even if Matthews had not resigned, Issitt said his decision was termination. "It was one thousand percent an easy decision in terms of making the correct decision to relieve officer Matthews of his responsibilities with the Goodyear Police Department," Issitt said.

Records from the state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Board reveal Matthews was hired by the Mammoth Police Department on Aug. 1, 2025, just months after leaving Goodyear. However, once AZ POST launched a new-hire audit, Matthews was fired on Aug. 21.

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