A state committee voted Thursday that Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp should be banned for life from serving as a law enforcement officer in Oregon.

That was the unanimous decision from the police policy committee for the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. DPSST oversees certifications for peace officers and reviews complaints of misconduct. The state agency’s full board is expected to take up van der Kamp’s case in July.

DPSST staff investigated the sheriff over allegations of dishonesty going back decades.

The state could strip van der Kamp of his certifications to perform the duties of an officer, such as making arrests. State law requires a sheriff to have certifications.

Van der Kamp is resisting political pressure to resign immediately. He told OPB this month that he’s working with his staff to formulate “a retirement plan.”

The DPSST committee found that van der Kamp lied to the state and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office multiple times throughout his 20 years of service. Van der Kamp, the committee found, intentionally left off his past employment with and termination from the City of La Mesa Police Department in Southern California during the 1990s.

The Deschutes County Sheriff may lose his badge for lying. He also protected a deputy accused of the same thing

Van der Kamp also provided false testimony under oath about his education by claiming he went to universities that had no records of him attending, according to a separate investigation by the Deschutes County District Attorney.

Taken all together, DPSST’s committee found van der Kamp’s actions rise to the level of misconduct.

“Van der Kamp’s dishonesty under oath discredits the law enforcement profession and the standing of the DCSO in the community,” DPSST Deputy Director Kathy McAlpine wrote in the state’s report on van der Kamp.

Van der Kamp attended Thursday’s meeting virtually and did not speak on his own behalf. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment. He earns a $211,000 annual salary.

Van der Kamp’s lawyer, Randy J. Harvey, disputed the staff findings at the committee meeting. Harvey argued that van der Kamp did disclose his previous work at La Mesa and was never actually fired.

“He was not terminated either for cause or otherwise from La Mesa,” Harvey said. “There are no facts in the record that that occurred.”

Last year, van der Kamp sued OPB and Deschutes County to try and seal his employment records from La Mesa. A judge eventually dismissed the complaint. But before that happened, van der Kamp’s own attorneys accidentally released the records. They showed La Mesa officials had recommended firing van der Kamp for “serious incidents of misconduct,” including dishonesty.

DPSST’s investigation uncovered a Rolodex card that was still in the La Mesa police chief’s office. The card listed van der Kamp’s name, and dates of employment, along with a notation that he was “terminated.”

“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 for dishonesty,” said Casey Codding, vice-chair of DPSST’s police policy committee.

Deschutes County sheriff gave false testimony in criminal cases, DA finds

Other board members said they factored in the way van der Kamp responded to the scrutiny.

“Additionally, that him [van der Kamp], and or his attorneys, took steps to try to keep some of this quiet,” said board member DaNeshia Barrett. “Up to and including filing a temporary restraining order application against the DCSO to prevent the release of the La Mesa documents regarding some of this stuff.”

Patricia Lofgren, a public member on the committee, said van der Kamp’s actions were worrying.

“This is not someone who I would want to be responsible for law enforcement in my community,” she said. “It left me with a sense of fear and trepidation.”

Van der Kamp was overwhelmingly elected to office in November 2024.

His case is expected to go before DPSST’s full 26-member board on July 24. At that meeting, the board will determine whether to revoke his certifications. Van der Kamp will have a right to contest the decision.

This story may be updated.

Editor’s note: During the 2024 election cycle, van der Kamp took OPB and Deschutes County to court in an attempt to seal records about his past law enforcement experience in La Mesa, California. A judge found the lawsuit lacked any reasonable basis. OPB continues to have active litigation to recover legal fees accrued defending itself from van der Kamp’s lawsuit.

This story was reported by freelancer Jen Baires. OPB is a nonprofit, statewide news organization with a mission to tell stories for communities in all parts of Oregon and Southwest Washington. As part of that goal, we work with partner news organizations and freelancers to identify stories like this that might otherwise go untold. If you have an idea for a story, live in an area outside Portland and want to work with us, send your freelance pitches to [email protected].

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/22/deschutes-county-sheriff-losing-his-badge/