Members of the state committee that oversees police disciplinary matters were not convinced Thursday of Kent van der Kamp’s ability to continue as a law enforcement officer — let alone Deschutes County sheriff — when they issued a recommendation that his law enforcement credentials be permanently revoked for misconduct and moral failings.

Now, van der Kamp says he intends to appeal that decision even though it has not yet been finalized by the Board of Public Safety Standards and Policy, Oregon’s police certification and regulatory agency. 

In the meantime, van der Kamp will make plans for retirement “in the coming months,” he said.

“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,” van der Kamp said in a statement. 

“Following today’s hearing, my team will begin the appeals process in hopes of correcting the record. 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.”

While the Police Policy Committee of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Policy does not have the ability to directly sanction van der Kamp, its members voted unanimously Thursday against allowing him to retain his police certification following a report that detailed 14 separate instances of dishonesty relating to his employment with and termination from the La Mesa Police Department in California, supplying false documents to Oregon State Police and lying while under oath in Deschutes County Circuit Court.

“This is not a person who would make me feel safe in my community,” said Police Policy Committee member Patricia Lofgren after hearing the findings from the state agency. “Speaking as a public member (of this committee), in reading through these files … it left me with a sense of fear and trepidation. I totally agree that I do not want this person to be in this position.”

Mitigating vs aggravating factors

Van der Kamp did not attend Thursday’s committee meeting, but his lawyer, Randy Harvey, appeared virtually to present to the committee any mitigating factors in his case. Harvey asserted that there was no proof that van der Kamp was terminated from the La Mesa Police Department, and was unable to address any of the findings related to van der Kamp’s dishonesty while under oath before exceeding his time limit.

“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.”

Members of the committee did not respond well to that argument.

“In reviewing the material, listening to the interviews, I found there is an overwhelming amount of inaccuracies, responses and statements that fall into the category of violating (the agency’s moral fitness) policy,” said Vice Chair Casy Codding of the Oregon State Police. “I find that the mitigation does not sway me off that determination and I almost find that the mitigation has an aggravating nature in this case.”

Ultimately, It was van der Kamp’s lack of remorse that motivated committee member Teresa Livingston, also of Oregon State Police, to call for a lifetime ban against van der Kamp being recertified as a police officer in Oregon.

“I’m recommending lifetime,” said Livingston “The lack of accountability or any kind of remorse or acceptance — whether he wants to say it’s a mistake or not — there’s no ownership. He’s just basically giving blame back. I was not moved by the mitigating information provided and the level of dishonesty throughout the years, the lying under oath, I think it raises this to that level.”

What happens next?

The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training board will make a decision whether or not to uphold the Police Policy Committee’s recommendation — likely at its next meeting on July 27 — said communications coordinator Sam Tenney. 

Van der Kamp has already said he intends to appeal that decision, which means his credentials will still be valid until an administrative law judge decides to overturn or uphold the board’s decision. At that point, van der Kamp can appeal the judge’s decision again in court, but his credentials will no longer be valid unless the original decision is overturned.

If van der Kamp’s credentials are revoked by an administrative judge but he still does not choose to resign, he will no longer be able to perform any duties of a law enforcement officer in Oregon, including making arrests.

At that point, the Deschutes County Commission can declare the position vacant and fill it by appointment through a state law that requires a sheriff to be certified through the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training within one year of taking office. However, it is possible that the administrative appeal could far surpass that one-year mark, Tenney said.

The annual salary for van der Kamp’s position is $​​211,030.68, according to county records.

Calls for resignation

Many public officials are expressing their frustration at van der Kamp’s unwillingness to resign in light of the recent scandals. Ahead of the Police Policy Committee’s hearing Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang — who endorsed van der Kamp during his campaign — acknowledged the good work he has done, but urged the sheriff to step down in a letter sent to The Bulletin.

“We can appreciate an elected official and simultaneously know that they can’t continue to serve,” Chang said. “The opportunity to establish a new culture at the Sheriff’s Office will require that van der Kamp can recognize what Sheriff Nelson could not – that the Sheriff is not above the law.”

Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair is also calling for van der Kamp to resign without first seeking an administrative appeal.

“While Sheriff van der Kamp has the right to remain in office until the full Board of Public Safety Standards and Training votes on the recommendation, and longer if he pursues an administrative appeal, I believe that stepping down is imperative to maintain the public trust and support the morale of dedicated employees within the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office,” Adair said in a written statement sent to The Bulletin.

Earlier this week the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association also voted unanimously to expel van der Kamp from the association, a possible first for the historic organization.

“It wasn’t something (the association) took lightly. With the history of our association going back all the way to 1916, no one within OSSA had ever seen something like this come up,” said Oregon State Sheriff’s Association executive director Tim Svenson “The sheriffs of Oregon do not condone dishonesty in our line of work. You have to be an honest individual to do our job; the citizens we serve expect that and deserve individuals in those positions to meet those expectations.”