Jason Schermerhorn

CANNON BEACH — Jason Schermerhorn is retiring after nearly a dozen years of serving the community as police chief.

Schermerhorn, who has worked in law enforcement for 27 years, was appointed chief of the Cannon Beach Police Department in 2012. Prior to his appointment, he had spent a decade with the Seaside Police Department.

During his time as police chief, Schermerhorn also served as interim city manager when needed.

“The citizens are great,” he said. “They’ve always been very helpful, and they really support the police department. I think that’s been the strongest thing that we’ve had, because we’re a smaller agency, so we need all the help we can get. And I think that we’ve always had a great relationship.”

Schermerhorn said he will be moving to Idaho with his family and leaving his law enforcement career behind.

“We just want to have a fresh start and try something new,” he said. “I don’t know what that is yet, but we’re definitely looking at our options.

“It’s certainly a bittersweet thing to be leaving, but we’ve got a great crew, it’s going in a good direction. And it’s very promising with the new police department in the future as well.”

Cannon Beach is moving forward with a $25 million investment in a new City Hall and police station. The City Hall will be rebuilt over the existing location on E. Gower Avenue downtown and a new police station is planned at the city’s Tolovana cache site east of U.S. Highway 101.

In 2014, Schermerhorn had a role in investigating one of the highest-profile crimes in Clatsop County in recent years. He was the first responder to arrive at the scene after Jessica Smith drowned her 2-year-old daughter and slashed her teenage daughter in a Cannon Beach hotel room. Smith, of Washington state, was sentenced in 2016 to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 40 years.

In addition to his leadership post as police chief, Schermerhorn has served on nonprofit boards, including Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers, which provides assistance to the homeless, and The Harbor, which helps victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. He has also served as a volunteer firefighter in Seaside.

The city has posted a hiring notice for a new police chief on the city’s website and social media. The application deadline is March 5.

City Manager Bruce St. Denis said that the notice has been sent out to the League of Oregon Cities and the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police.

“We hope to have somebody probably by June or July,” he said.