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St. Helens City Council Appoints Matthew Smith as Police Chief
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2025
St. Helens, Ore. – At their August 20, 2025, meeting, the St. Helens City Council appointed Matthew Smith as the St. Helens Police Department’s new police chief. Chief Smith is an internal candidate from the St. Helens Police Department who was serving as a sergeant and acting police chief prior to his appointment.
Chief Smith holds an Executive Master in Public Administration (EMPA) from Portland State University. He has worked at the St. Helens Police Department since July 2020. He was hired as a patrol officer before being appointed as a detective and receiving promotions to corporal and sergeant. Prior to working at the City of St. Helens, he worked as an officer at the City of Forest Grove and the City of Gervais. He was also a cadet and reserve officer for the City of Beaverton.
Chief Smith holds a Supervisory Certification from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). He is a certified crash reconstructionist and elder abuse instructor, in addition to being an International Public Safety Leadership and Ethics Course instructor.
During his time at the St. Helens Police Department, Chief Smith has received numerous Exemplary Service Awards, a Meritorious Service Award, a Community Service Award, and was named the 2021 Supervisor of the Year. He was honored in 2019 by the Oregon Peace Officers Association (OPOA) with a Life Saving Award and received the FBI Director’s Award of Excellence in 2017.
In 2024, Chief Smith assisted with language updates in House Bill 4156 to modernize Oregon’s stalking laws and account for technology that was not addressed under the previous bill. The House Bill passed and went into effect on July 1, 2024.
Chief Smith’s internal recruitment process included an interview panel made up of two police chiefs from other jurisdictions, one sheriff, one St. Helens City Councilor, and one St. Helens Police Association member. After receiving the highest score from the interview panel, a background investigation and psychological evaluation were conducted by third parties prior to his appointment to police chief.
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For further information regarding Chief Smith’s appointment, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.
