Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart announced his retirement Wednesday, a move that will cap a 36-year career with the department when he steps down Dec. 6.
He has endorsed Undersheriff Chris Clark to succeed him.
Hart, who is serving his third term, says his decision came after the California legislature extended sheriff’s terms to six years to align with those of district attorneys.
“I originally planned to complete my four-year term, but the term was extended to six years after the election,” he stated in a press release. “I knew I wasn’t going to complete a six-year term, so I have decided that December 2024 would be a good time for my family and me to retire.”
Hart says that he is leaving the Sheriff’s Office “in excellent shape, with outstanding staff members dedicated to serving our community.”
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the Sheriff here for the past decade,” he stated.
Hart began his career as a deputy sheriff in 1988 and has held every rank in the office, and was elected Sheriff in June 2014.
Under his leadership, the office has navigated seven federally declared disasters, the line-of-duty death of Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, protests following George Floyd’s murder, the COVID-19 pandemic and most recently the fentanyl crisis, sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said.
Crime rates in the county’s unincorporated areas are at a record low, Keehn said—less than half the state average—which Sheriff Hart attributes to effective community policing policies.
“I have lived in Santa Cruz County my entire life,” Hart said. “This is a wonderful place to live and work, and I wouldn’t have traded this career for anything.”
Where I work the sheriff’s department has been a class act. They’re there when needed and sometimes just their patrolling the large parking lot gives us peace of mind, especially at night.
Jim Hart has always been a fair, level headed, caring officer , he used to take me home after curfew when I was out and a out. Over the years he has done a great job being transparent and keeping the community informed about the sheriff’s departments incidents and how things were handled. I commend him on his service! Congrats on your retirement!