Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp experienced his latest setback May 22, when a state police policy committee voted unanimously to recommend a lifetime revocation of his police certifications to the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training board.
The board will review and vote July 27 on whether to take the committee’s recommendation. The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training is the state’s law enforcement regulatory entity.
If the DPSST board adopts the committee’s recommendation to permanently revoke van der Kamp’s certifications, the sheriff will have the option to contest the decision before an administrative law judge, according to Sam Tenney, the DPSST communications coordinator. During a contested case process, which can take several months, an officer’s certifications remain active.
Tenney said a stripping of police certification would mean van der Kamp would not be able to perform the duties of a police officer in Oregon. That means no arrest powers, for example.
“But because van der Kamp is a department head, it’s a little different for him,” Tenney said. “DPSST doesn’t have the authority to remove an elected official from office, nor do we have the authority to terminate the employment of a public safety professional.”
On April 8, Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels placed van der Kamp on the Brady list of allegedly dishonest police officers that are banned from giving future testimony in Deschutes County Circuit Court cases.
At the DPSST meeting in Salem, the police policy committee voted to adopt the staff’s report that describes van der Kamp’s moral fitness violations. Detailed within are numerous instances of misconduct and dishonesty, regarding van der Kamp’s portrayal of his previous law enforcement experience and educational background.
In cases from 2012 to 2015, van der Kamp made false claims that he received degrees from the University of Southern California and the University of Arizona. In the 2024 Oregon Voters Pamphlet, however, van der Kamp factually stated that he received a master’s in business administration from Trident University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Phoenix.
Before the committee’s vote, van der Kamp offered a mitigating statement through his attorney Randy Harvey. They both attended the meeting remotely, which was livestreamed on YouTube.
During the statement, Harvey went item by item, disputing the allegations that van der Kamp was dishonest about his work as a reserve officer in California in the 1990s, including lying about having been terminated by La Mesa Police Department for misconduct and dishonesty. Harvey said van der Kamp included that information to the DSCO in his initial application.
“Apparently Mr. Ferris who conducted the investigation and then Sheriff Nelson didn’t see fit to provide that information in the report to DPSST, which led DPSST to the false conclusion that he misrepresented facts, which is an untruth,” the attorney said.
Harvey additionally disputed the technicality of van der Kamp’s termination by the La Mesa Police Department. When Harvey began to discuss van der Kamp’s educational background, he was cut for time.
After van der Kamp’s mitigating statement, Vice chairman Casey Codding of the Oregon State Police began the committee discussion.
“After reviewing the material, listening to the interviews, I found that there’s an overwhelming amount of inaccuracies — responses and statements that clearly, to me, fall in the category of moral fitness violation or dishonesty,” Codding said. “I listened and read the mitigation, I find that the mitigation does nothing to sway me from that determination, and I almost find that the litigation adds to the aggravating nature of this case.”
Other committee members agreed. They voted unanimously to adopt the record and to recommend a lifetime revocation of van der Kamp’s certifications to present to the board.
Speaking by phone, Sam Tenney, the DPSST spokesman said the department’s role is uphold the standards that Oregon has set for its law enforcement professionals and public safety professionals.
“We review the conduct of any public safety professional who may have violated moral fitness standards established by the board,” Tenney said. “There’s very much a process to it. We’re collecting the information; the ultimate decision lies with the board.”
If Sheriff van der Kamp were to resign, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners would appoint a replacement, County Clerk Steve Dennison told the Source last month.
If van der Kamp resigned this year, per ORS 236.210, the sheriff position would be placed on the next election cycle’s ballot. In this case, it would be on the May 2026 ballot initially and the sheriff would be elected in November 2026.
The county commission could appoint anybody with the right qualifications, Dennison added, given they meet certain age and residency requirements. He’s unsure if there would be an immediate appointment through a special meeting but said the undersheriff would take the place until the appointment.
This story has been updated to reflect Sheriff van der Kamp’s statement:
“While my legal team was limited in the scope of information we were permitted to present today, I am proud of the clarity and professionalism with which they outlined the facts and defended my record with the written materials. I am, however, disappointed that the committee appeared to disregard the absence of actual evidence in the historic La Mesa matter and instead relied on speculation and subjective impressions in reaching their decision.
To the dedicated men and women of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the community we serve, I offer my deepest and most sincere apologies. This outcome is not what I, nor the community, expected or deserve. I recognize the weight of this moment and the impact it has on all of you—my colleagues, supporters, and the people who placed their trust in my leadership. I am incredibly grateful for the past 23 years of service in this county—for the unwavering support, the camaraderie, and the friendships built through years of shared commitment to public safety.
During my tenure, I was honored to lead a cultural shift at the Sheriff’s Office—ending patterns of retaliation, reducing exposure to lawsuits, transparent hiring and promotional processes, streamlining operations to protect taxpayer money with a streamlined budget, and rebuilding vital partnerships with other county departments, public safety agencies, and community organizations. These are just a few priorities we met in record time.
Following today’s hearing, my team will begin the appeals process in hopes of correcting the record. According to DPSST officials, my certifications remain in good standing pending the outcome of the appeal. I will provide more updates when I get them.
In the meantime, my family and I are continuing to make plans for my retirement in the coming months. I remain grateful for the opportunity to have served this county for the past 23 years.”
This article appears in Source Weekly May 22, 2025.
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Having won a landslide victory in the Nov. 2024 election, reform-minded candidate Kent van der Kamp is keeping his promise to transform the Deschutes County Sheriff Office. No one disputes van der Kamp’s success in quickly restoring morale to DCSO after 8 years of deterioration under the leadership of Shane Nelson.
The list of complaints filed against van der Kamp in the DPSST memo seems trivial compared to the litany of incidences of retaliation, intimidation, misogyny, misuses of taxpayer money, and abuses of power committed by Nelson. See the report:
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/12/14/emp…
Yet, in this report we find Tony DeBone characterizing Nelson’s reign as “stellar.” Tony, of course, will be the deciding vote in choosing the next Sheriff and will be keen on restoring the Nelson legacy.
In so doing, DeBone will be violating the trust of the 59.32% who voted for change at DCSO. I say, let Kent van der Kamp serve out his term, or if he is really as monstrous as the good old boys claim he is, then let’s have a recall election ASAP..
fosterfell is obviously on drugs or a Scamder Kamp stooge… The agency is a complete disaster, and here he is defending someone who would be a FELON if it weren’t for the statute of limitations. Nelson had his problems, but what we as a county experienced with him will pale in comparison to the mess that Scamder Kamp is leaving us with. Felonies outweigh HR issues, m’kay? Just admit you got suckered, like 59.32% of voters who bought snake oil from a guy who was proven to be a liar before any votes were cast. Serve out his term?!?! The guy can’t even be a cop anymore LOLLLLL!!!