(“I consider myself a steward of the taxpayers’ money,” said Sheriff Ty Rupert | Photo by Andrea Hine)
“I want to bring back the integrity of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for both the community and the incredible people who work here,” said Sheriff Ty Rupert. “My goal is to build an organization where everyone is taken care of and respected. Where the public feels that ‘they are doing it right,’ and the employees are happy, and feel empowered and appreciated.”
“To accomplish this,” he continued, “it’s Important to know every aspect of the DCSO, and in my 20 years here, I’ve worked my way through the ranks — and learned something in every area in which I served.”
Looking back, Rupert found Seach & Rescue and the Sheriff’s Posse (which is part of Special Services) to be “the most fun and my biggest challenge, with 21 paid staff members and 180 volunteers, each with different personalities. I learned how to navigate extremely talented people for whom I had tremendous respect, and knew that in their eyes, I was either legit or not legit. I wasn’t going to fool them.”
But deception has never been part of Rupert’s makeup. “I’m not a flashy person,” he said, “but very sincere and humble. I wear my heart on my sleeve — what you see is what you get.”
These attributes extend to his professional leadership style. In Rupert’s words, “I consider myself to be open and honest, firmly believe in communication, and have always been very approachable. I don’t like secrets, and don’t sweep things under the rug.”
The influences that “really shaped who I am,” Rupert said, included four years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, which “teaches you teamwork, taking care of your troops, and putting them before all else.”
Rupert also spent 15 years in the private sector, where his first employer “took a chance on me, went out on a limb, and created a position after I told him that ‘I’ll do anything you need me to do.’” Starting on the shop floor, Rupert — similar to his time with the DCSO — steadily advanced to vice president, where he grew sales from $1.7M to just under $7M while managing company operations including manufacturing, sales, finance, marketing, and new product research and development.
He has found that “being sheriff is like running a business, especially at this level of finance (an operating budget of $65.84 million for Fiscal Year 2025) and personnel (more than 300 sworn and non-sworn employees, along with 300+ volunteers). I feel fortunate for my private sector experience, which has helped me substantially.”
On the financial side, Rupert said, “I consider myself a steward of the taxpayers’ money — the DCSO needs to spend it responsibly, respectfully, and wisely.” Toward that end, he plans to set up a citizens advisory panel to provide counsel about “what we’re doing well, and where we can get improve.”
“I’m not afraid of hard questions,” he said. “That’s how we’ll be able to enhance our level of professionalism (whether on patrol or in the office) and rebuild trust with the community.” However, he admitted, “I’m a realist, and know that accomplishing these goals will take time.”
Rupert emphasized that “DCSO is in the public safety business — that’s why we exist. I truly care about our community, and want to make Deschutes a safe, livable county for folks to live in.”
He has found, since becoming sheriff on July 31, that “this is such a humbling experience. It’s not about me, but rather the people I work with. My role is to support them, enhance morale after the past few tumultuous years, and stabilize the DCSO. The troops deserve a good boss, and the public deserves an office they can be proud of.”
