The Cannon Beach Gazette had the opportunity to talk with Cannon Beach Police Chief Jason Schermerhorn about the challenges facing our police department.
Chief Schermerhorn began his law enforcement career in 1997; working as a police officer in Seaside for 15 years before taking the job of Cannon Beach Police Chief in 2012. Over the past decade, Schermerhorn has witnessed the steady increase in visitors to Cannon Beach, with a corresponding increase in the number of police responses. In 2022, the Cannon Beach Police Department logged a total of 5,099 police contacts, with visitors to our town accounting for 81% of that total.
The busiest month was July (749) followed by June (735) and August (686) for a total of 2,170 police contacts over the summer months. Schermerhorn explained that there’s no longer a “slow season”; with the slowest winter months of February and December logging about 280 police contacts each month.
Two of Chief Schermerhorn’s main concerns are trying to fill the vacant police officer position that’s been open for a year, and dealing with the poor conditions of the current police station. With one of the department’s officers on medical leave, along with the current vacant officer position, Schermerhorn has been covering three officer shifts per week, with the police lieutenant covering shift vacancies as well; leaving less time for administrative duties.
The open police officer position attracted only three applicants last year, with one withdrawing and the other two not being chosen. After being hired, it typically takes about a year for a new officer to be able to work independently. The challenge in filling the vacant officer position is finding the right fit for a small department like Cannon Beach, with the lack of available housing in the area adding to the challenge.
Of the eleven members of the police department, only one officer and one administrative assistant live in Cannon Beach. The police chief, one lieutenant, six officers, two administrative assistants, and one code enforcement officer make up the Cannon Beach Police Department, with the seasonal addition of six parking information aides who work from late May through early September.
These half-dozen bicycle-mounted parking information aides are responsible for things such as parking enforcement, pets locked in hot cars, monitoring the skateboard park, providing information to visitors and dealing with “found property” such as cell phones and wallets.
Chief Schermerhorn described the poor conditions of the existing 1,500 square-foot police station. Older than many Cannon Beach residents, the current building is cramped, lacks natural light, and suffers from poor ventilation and black mold; with the occasional dead animal in the walls creating a stench lasting for weeks.
Even with air purifiers, department employees suffer from allergies and respiratory problems due to the poor air quality. The station lacks adequate office space, a kitchen or a table large enough for meals, department briefings or laying out paperwork. The lone refrigerator is packed with biological evidence awaiting the crime lab or a criminal trial.
The small locker room can be a challenge for the eleven female and male department employees. The evidence storage room is stacked with boxes from a single homicide requiring records to be kept for 99 years, the interview room shares the same space with vital records which are kept for 10 years, and property is stored in an outside garage. A single bathroom faucet supplies water for drinking, microwaving and washing dishes.
Schermerhorn envisions a new police station of around 4,500-5,000 square-feet, and recently inspected new police stations of a similar size in Kalama, Sandy and Gladstone.
The new station will very likely end up being built on the city-owned South Wind property, out of the tsunami inundation zone on the east side of Highway 101 in Tolovana, with Schermerhorn adding that they are waiting on an updated geotech survey of the property, along with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) requirements for highway access to the property.
A portion of the funding for the new police station will come from revenue generated from the 5% Prepared Food Tax; passed by a slim margin of Cannon Beach voters in November 2021.
Schermerhorn said that while “our Budget Committee and City Council have been very generous in giving us the things we need to do our job”, he would like to have more funding available for training. Cannon Beach police officers are required to complete a minimum of 84 hours of training every three years, along with 24 hours of practice on the firing range located in Seaside. Detective work, leadership classes and other law enforcement techniques such as “use of force” require additional training.
In response to a question about Cannon Beach officers spending time enforcing traffic laws on Highway 101, Schermerhorn said that “I hope people would appreciate that the officers enforcing traffic issues are out on the highway because of the multiple fatalities we’ve had. Traffic enforcement is part of law enforcement and helps to reduce accidents.” When asked if heavy traffic affects safety on days when Cannon Beach is packed with visitors, Schermerhorn responded “absolutely, and unfortunately in such a small town there are not a lot of areas to put the traffic and drivers grow impatient, careless and distracted. This rarely ends well, and people get hurt.”
Asked about the types of calls Cannon Beach officers respond to, Schermerhorn said that it runs the gamut from traffic complaints and code enforcement, to disturbances and domestic violence situations, with an increasing number of calls related to mental health. “Even though Cannon Beach is a small town, we get our fair share of crimes, drugs and alcohol-related incidents.”
Schermerhorn added that “we are very thankful for our community members who are the extra eyes and ears out there. Often people think they are bothering us when they report something and that just is not the case. A lot of crime can be prevented by thoughtful citizens reporting suspicious activity. I am very happy and proud of our department and it’s employees. They truly want what is best for the community, and even on tough days or weeks they hold together and look out for each other.”
Cannon Beach Police Chief Jason Schermerhorn can be contacted at: [email protected]