“Six ways Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp was dishonest” could be the subtitle of a state investigation sent to him last week.
The sheriff got a copy of a state agency’s case against him April 14 in an email, OPB has learned through a public records request. The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training also sent van der Kamp the time and place when Oregon officials will decide next steps on the future of his police certification.
Van der Kamp was elected last year on promises of reforming a local agency that’s been embroiled in personnel scandals for much of the last decade. But before he even took office, van der Kamp was fighting allegations of dishonesty and misconduct about his employment history and education.
DPSST oversees standards for police officers in Oregon and reviews serious accusations of police misconduct. Agency staff found “van der Kamp’s dishonesty under oath discredits the law enforcement profession” and that he harmed “the public’s trust by intentionally falsifying documents.”
State officials found van der Kamp’s falsehoods snowballed over the last 20 years.
For example, they found he repeatedly lied about being fired from La Mesa, California’s police department in 1997 before moving to Oregon.
DPSST officials cite numerous examples of OPB’s reporting in the draft report. In one story right before the election, van der Kamp falsely told OPB that La Mesa officials did not fire him, and “the whole thing is a farce.” But DPSST found old-fashioned proof — a Rolodex card that was still in the La Mesa police chief’s office that said van der Kamp had been “terminated.”
DPSST’s case also includes the findings of a separate investigation released this month by the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office.
The county’s top prosecutor found van der Kamp claimed to have received degrees from universities he never attended, misrepresenting his education under oath during multiple criminal cases, which could now be reopened or thrown out.
As a result, Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels deemed the sheriff too untrustworthy to testify and took the unusual step of placing him on what’s known in legal circles as a “Brady list.” Being on the list, named after a landmark court case, severely undermines a law enforcement officer’s credibility.
Van der Kamp’s first term in elected office lasts until 2029. Days after he got DPSST’s draft report in his inbox, the sheriff told OPB: “I was resoundingly hired by the public to do a job and to stop the crisis at the sheriff’s office,” he said. “And I continue to do the same until we can find a time that’s best for me to transition out.”
The sheriff said he planned to release another statement Tuesday, but it never arrived. Van der Kamp did not respond to requests for comment on this story before the deadline.
Formerly a sergeant leading the county’s drug enforcement team, van der Kamp also runs a mortgage lending company. He was elected after promising to change the office culture and use his business experience to reign in spending.
Deschutes County Commissioners Phil Chang and Patti Adair both endorsed him last year. This week, they declined to comment until the sheriff issues another public statement.
Van der Kamp also got backing from the agency’s employee union, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Employee Association. Following a series of lawsuits by employees and former employees under the watch of former Sheriff Shane Nelson, many deputies and others at the sheriff’s office had hoped van der Kamp could professionalize the agency.
Union president Danny Graham, who is a sergeant in the sheriff’s office, said the association is “holding back on comment right now” until its members plan to meet again May 7.
“I am sure there are some upset people that are going to want to vote on some topics or some issues,” Graham said.
Speaking personally, he said he was “saddened by the whole ordeal.”
“I put a lot of confidence and trust in the sheriff. I don’t want to lose that. I feel our agency is heading in a very good direction right now,” Graham said.
DPSST’s Police Policy Committee will review the agency’s draft staff report and any response van der Kamp provides to it. The committee is expected to meet May 22 to consider revoking his certifications.
State law requires a person holding the office of sheriff to be certified as a police officer within one year of taking office, according to DPSST spokesperson Sam Tenney.
“A police officer who is unable to obtain or maintain their certifications cannot perform the duties of a police officer in the State of Oregon. If an officer’s certification is revoked, they have the option to appeal and request a hearing. During that appeals process their certification is still valid and under review until a final order is issued,” Tenney said in an email last month.
If van der Kamp resigns, the county Board of Commissioners would appoint an interim sheriff. In that case, the next opportunity for voters to permanently select a replacement would be the 2026 election cycle. If van der Kamp does not resign, he could be vulnerable to a recall effort starting in July, after he’s served six months in office.
Editor’s note: During the contentious 2024 election cycle, van der Kamp took OPB and Deschutes County to court to try to seal records about his past law enforcement experience in La Mesa, California. That didn’t work. The media organization continues to have active litigation over van der Kamp’s lawsuit.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
