Ceremony honors retired Marion County Sheriff Jason Myers, who died in October

In the courtyard of the Oregon Public Safety Academy, relatives of Jason Myers smiled as they sat on a bench recently built in his memory.

They were among dozens who gathered Monday morning at the training facility in southeast Salem to honor the life and legacy of Myers, a retired Marion County sheriff who died in October after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 56.

Speakers included Myers’ former colleagues at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. They described him as a noble public servant, humble mentor and pioneer for behavioral health services, with a knack for communicating law enforcement needs to state lawmakers. 

Troy Clausen, who served as Marion County’s undersheriff for 10 years, told the crowd that he felt honored to work with Myers. He said there is no better way to honor Myers’ life than a memorial “in this particular place of learning, which was very important to him.”

“To watch him impact public safety was nothing short of amazing,” Clausen said. “The gentleman could do no wrong, honestly. He would tell you that he could, but he was an exceptional leader.”

Myers served his nearly 30-year law enforcement career with the sheriff’s office, including a decade as the county’s top cop.

He started as a summer cadet in 1989. 

The Board of Commissioners appointed him sheriff in 2009, following the resignation of Sheriff Russ Isham. He ran for the position unopposed in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

He served from from 2016 to 2019 as the chair of both the state Board on Public Safety Standards and Training and the Corrections Policy Committee. 

As sheriff, Myers spearheaded Marion County’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, intended to keep people struggling with homelessness and addiction out of the criminal justice system. That effort launched in 2018 and is now a model other counties are using as they create their own such programs following the recriminalization of hard drugs.

Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson told Salem Reporter after Myers’ death that he was an early advocate for moving law enforcement away from responding to mental health issues. He recognized behavioral health as the profession’s largest challenge over a decade ago, when many others were focused on methamphetamine, and lobbied for years for better treatment options and more mental health resources, Clarkson said.

Myers’ advocacy in the state Legislature began when he served as sheriff and continued in his role at the statewide association.

Colleagues told Salem Reporter after Myers’ death that he was able to mediate challenging conversations about law enforcement policy, such as when he helped craft a package of statewide reforms to policing in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

Myers retired as sheriff in 2019. He then took a job leading the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association as executive director, stepping down at the end of last year to focus on his health.

He died on Oct. 7, 2024 in his Stayton home.

At the ceremony on Monday, Clausen read a joint statement from Myers’ wife Larena Myers, mother Mary Jo Myers and mother-in-law Judy Collier. The family thanked everyone who supported Myers throughout his life and those who have reached out since his death.

“We are deeply humbled and touched by this dedication in his honor,” they wrote. 

Tim Svenson, executive director of the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association, said during a speech that Myers’ death represented a “profound loss” for law enforcement officers across the state.

“Jason was more than a mentor. He was a friend, a leader and an inspiration. Jason’s impact on law enforcement in Oregon cannot be overstated,” Svenson said. “He was a model of servant leadership, embodying humility, faith and an unwavering commitment to others. His kindness, humor and wisdom left an indelible mark not just on me, but on hundreds of law enforcement professionals across the state.”

Svenson said Myers recruited him to take over leading the sheriff’s association, “a role he believed in with all his heart.” 

“A day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about his guidance, his legacy and the lessons he imparted, often without even realizing the impact he was having. Though his passing leaves a void in our law enforcement family, Jason’s influence endures,” Svenson said. “I’m grateful for his mentorship and friendship, and his memory continues to inspire me to lead with purpose and compassion.”

Kevin Campbell, executive director of the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police, recalled seeing Myers “repeatedly put others first.”

“He taught me so much about what it meant to be a servant leader, not by what he said, but by how he acted,” he said at the event. “Through difficult conversations, negotiations or engagements with people with a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, he, without exception, treated people with incredible dignity. He always listened first. He also wanted to know what made people tick and what they were about before he wanted to talk about issues,” he said.

Campbell said Myers showed commitment to protecting vulnerable people who needed an advocate and “encouraging those that were making their way in the world to find their best self and their best path,” he said. “What a wonderful, wonderful man Jason was.”

Marion County Sheriff Nick Hunter said Myers’ authenticity led the way for his success in communicating with legislators and leading 36 sheriffs.

“It didn’t matter what environment that you had the opportunity to meet and work with Jason,” Hunter said in a speech. “He was always Jason. He never changed himself or adapted into an environment.”

Hunter said when his deputies started a training course Monday morning in crisis intervention, he told them about Myers’ passion for improving behavioral and mental health services.

He said Myers was well-known as a mentor despite never trying to mentor anyone.

“He was the best quiet mentor I have ever been around in my entire life,” Hunter said. “You were drawn to him. You didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t, ‘Maybe I want to do this. Maybe I don’t want to do this.’ When you were around Jason, it was, ‘This is the way we do this, because this is the right way to do this and we should all act in this capacity.’”

Hunter said there couldn’t be a more fitting place for the bench honoring Myers than the site of Oregon’s police academy, and he hopes instructors remind their students that it’s there.

“If this bench is truly serving its purpose, there are some students that will come out here and have a conversation with Jason. Maybe it’s a hard day, maybe it’s a good day, maybe you’re just looking for some advice, but that’s what this bench represents. This represents the chance to come out here, sit down and have a conversation with a man who was literally probably the best mentor that I have ever seen in law enforcement,” he said. “This is the true definition of legacy.”

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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