Deschutes Sheriff van der Kamp says he’ll resign in late August, while deputies union joins the call for him to leave now
Barney Lerten
(Update: Sheriff’s employees union calls for van der Kamp to resign immediately)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp, facing a potential loss of his police certification from a state agency next month, told KTVZ News on Wednesday he will be retiring in late August and will no longer work in law enforcement. But the union representing sheriff’s deputies joined those calling for him to step down right away, and not wait until summer’s end.
“I’m exhausted,” van der Kamp, 53, told us. “I’m going to go do something a little bit slower. I’ve been doing this (law enforcement) for 24 years now. I’m at the point where we’re looking for other things to do at this point.”
In the furor that arose after District Attorney Steve Gunnels put van der Kamp on the Brady list of law enforcement who could not be called to testify at trials due to issues of dishonesty, van der Kamp said he’d decide whether to retire within 90 days.
A state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training panel voted unanimously last month to recommend the DPSST Board revoke his law enforcement certification for life. An investigation delved into issues ranging from failure to include his Southern California law enforcement experience when applying for a Deschutes County position to falsely claiming on the witness stand having degrees from two colleges he never attended.
Van der Kamp told KTVZ News his remaining months on the job will involve completing some internal projects and ensuring a smooth leadership transition to whomever is appointed by county commissioners to succeed him. The sheriff’s position is expected to be on the ballot for a full term next year.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Tuesday that van der Kamp said he’d retire August 31; on Wednesday, van der Kamp told KTVZ News: “It’ll probably be slightly before that, due to the way the pay periods fall, but we’re shooting for the end of August.”
The sheriff also told OPB that he will still live in the U.S. while exploring opportunities overseas. He told us the makeup of that future life for him and his wife is “still in the works. It’ll probably be in the works for a little while. I have the ability to maintain a rental portfolio, run a business, purchase a business – a lot of options.”
“I’m looking forward to a break, catch my breath and reconnect with my family,” van der Kamp said.
The sheriff said he didn’t agree to an immediate resignation, as several elected officials and others urged, due to his commitment to those who voted him into office. He repeated an earlier statement that he’s heard “far more messages (from the public, saying, ‘Fight this to the death’” than those urging he leave now, as well as “a lot of internal support.”
But coincidentally, the Deschutes County Sheriff Employees Association issued a statement Wednesday, saying the union is calling for him to resign immediately – and to reimburse the association for funds provided for his legal defense during last year’s election. The statement is at the end of this article.
“People are upset, I’m upset that things did not go as planned,” he said. “But I went up against a big machine. We balanced a great budget, cutting it 6%, hired amazing people, promoted better people – changed the culture of the office, settled a lot of complaints.”
“I think people are much more content with the work that we’ve done here. We’ve left a good mark.”
But critics who want him to leave right away would have little time before late August to mount a recall campaign, for example.
And as van der Kamp put it: “The only people who could fire me are the people who hired me.”
Asked if the proper term was resignation or retirement, van der Kamp said he’d submitted his Public Employee Retirement System paperwork “to collect my monthly retirement check.”
After a contentious fall election, defeating sheriff’s Captain William Bailey – whom previous Sheriff Shane Nelson endorsed – van der Kamp said he’s not about to suggest, recommend or endorse anyone to be chosen as his successor.
“Didn’t we learn that lesson?” he told us. “I think we’ve learned that lesson. I have no interest in saying who what when. The county is still trying to figure out what to do.”
Van der Kamp also won’t say if he believes the next sheriff should be a current employee of the department or not. “I’m just not going to get in the mix of endorsing or not,” but he added, “we have amazing talent in this office.”
And the sheriff doesn’t expect the strife facing the agency to end with his departure: “I don’t think it’s over. Whoever comes in behind me is going to be subjected” to scrutiny and criticism, van der Kamp said.
Asked if he’d stay in Bend or Central Oregon, van der Kamp said he doesn’t know, as his aging parents and adult children live elsewhere. “We don’t have any long-term connections” to the area,” he said.
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Here is the Deschutes County Sheriff Employees Association’s statement provided Wednesday to KTVZ News:
“To: Local media
From: Deschutes County Sheriff Employees Association
Re: DCSEA notice to Sheriff Van der Kamp
Date: June 4, 2025
In November 2024, voters elected Sheriff Van der Kamp to be the Sheriff of Deschutes County, in part to bring much-needed change to DCSO. In April 2025, DA Gunnels placed Sheriff Van der Kamp on the Brady List for dishonesty. As time progressed, more allegations regarding Sheriff Van der Kamp being dishonest have surfaced. The members of the Deschutes County Sheriff Employee Association will not tolerate dishonesty from anyone in our organization.
Over the past several weeks, members of DCSEA have voted on several issues related to Sheriff Van der Kamp. Based on the results of the voting for those issues, DCSEA has requested Sheriff Van der Kamp to resign effective immediately. Additionally, DCSEA has requested Sheriff Van der Kamp reimburse DCSEA funds provided to him for legal defense during the 2024 election. A notice of these requests were provided to Sheriff Van der Kamp on June 4, 2025.
The members of DCSEA remain committed to providing superior public safety and keeping the public’s trust.
Respectfully,
DCSEA President Sergeant Daniel (Danny) Graham”