Amid the recent dishonesty allegations that led to widespread calls for Kent van der Kamp’s resignation, the embattled sheriff has tried to combat his negative public image with a picture of enduring support coming from within the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.

But that support appears to have dried up as of Tuesday when the Deschutes County Sheriff Employees Association voted to demand van der Kamp’s immediate resignation.

“In November 2024, voters elected Van der Kamp to be the Sheriff of Deschutes County, in part to bring much needed change to DCSO,” said union president Sgt. Danny Graham. “As time progressed, more allegations regarding Sheriff van der Kamp being dishonest have surfaced. The members of the Deschutes County Sheriff Employees Association will not tolerate dishonesty from anyone in our organization”

During his campaign, the sheriff’s union unanimously voted to endorse van der Kamp, and even paid for his legal fees to fight then-Sheriff Shane Nelson’s lawsuit against the city of La Mesa to obtain his past employment records. In addition to calling for his resignation, the association has asked for those funds to be reimbursed.

This announcement comes shortly after the state’s Police Policy Committee made an official recommendation to the Board of Public Safety Standards and Training that van der Kamp should permanently lose his law enforcement credentials for lying while under oath in Deschutes County Circuit Court, providing falsified records to Oregon State Police and failing to report he was terminated from the La Mesa Police Department. 

Van der Kamp was also permanently expelled from the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association’s board of directors, a unanimous decision the professional organization’s executive director Tim Svenson says is the first known time a sheriff has been expelled since it was founded in 1916.

Voters who have lost trust in van der Kamp will ultimately see him step down in retirement, but there are many who feel he should not be allowed to leave peacefully given the gravity of his offenses.

“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,” said Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair. 

The board is expected to uphold the Police Policy Committee’s recommendation at its next meeting on July 27, and van der Kamp has already announced his intention to appeal any decision to revoke them. He also has announced his plans to move out of the county, though “nothing is finalized yet,” he says. Sam Tenney, spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, confirmed that van der Kamp’s appeal will proceed regardless of his employment and residency status.