New Stanwood police chief lives there and has worked there

STANWOOD — Starting Wednesday, Snohomish County sheriff’s Lt. Jason Toner will be Stanwood’s police chief.

Toner’s selection comes after the city’s last chief, Rebecca Mertzig, was picked to lead Bellingham’s police department last month. Stanwood contracts with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office for police services.

Toner, a longtime volunteer youth sports coach in Stanwood, has been with the sheriff’s office for 15 years. In that time, he has worked as a master patrol deputy, school resource officer and for the cities of Snohomish and Gold Bar, according to a city of Stanwood news release.

In 2017, he was promoted to sergeant and worked for Stanwood for 2½ years. Last year, he was promoted to lieutenant. Most recently, he served as the sheriff’s office watch commander.

“I am looking forward to returning to the city of Stanwood and having the opportunity to serve our residents as the chief of police,” Toner said in a statement. “I am fortunate to call Stanwood my home for nearly a decade and I am excited to continue building relationships between law enforcement and our community. Public safety will always be our top priority and we are committed to providing professional and dedicated law enforcement services to our residents.”