(Re-elected Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang, and newly elected Sheriff van der Kamp, are sworn in on January 1, 2025 | Photo courtesy of Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office)
“Moving from the last administration into the new one, I have a lot of hope going forward,” said Lt. Jeremiah Minton of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO). “There’s a completely different feeling in the office, one of optimism — everyone’s spirits are so high.”
Until this last election, although “there has always been a great camaraderie between the deputies, the men and women at the line level felt their opinions didn’t matter, and weren’t comfortable standing up for their rights,” said Lt. James McLaughlin, who has been with the DCSO for 18 years. “But even in these past few months under Sheriff van der Kamp, there has been a 180-degree turnaround. I’ve seen the growth in the troops; people thrive when their ideas are listened to.”
“Building trust by changing the culture is my top priority, as was emphasized repeatedly during the 2024 campaign,” said van der Kamp. “I wasn’t planning to run for sheriff, but was approached by several groups, both internal and external. DCSO was struggling within the ranks, and the culture of toxicity was starting to take a toll.”
“Those who urged me to enter the race recognized my experience and leadership abilities honed by more than two decades with the DCSO,” he continued. “Another draw was my background in the private business sector. It took me six months to think about running for sheriff before deciding to put my name on it.”
“Building Trust by Changing the Culture”
Characterizing the DCSO these last few months as “very vibrant, with high energy and a lot of momentum,” Sheriff van der Kamp said that “so many good things are going on right now.”
As his colleagues would attest, creating an open, transparent culture has been the most important change. Van der Kamp provided some examples:
- The Sheriff and some of his colleagues “work patrol or in the jail once a week, talk to the inmates, and answer the phone. We want to be seen by the troops, be able to congratulate them on their successes, and show that ‘they care about us.’”
- A Friday Huddle has been instituted every other week, “where we discuss the good, bad, and ugly, what’s working and what’s not working,” he said. Invitees include Deschutes County commissioners, attorneys, and DCSO divisions such as Posse, and Search & Rescue. And every Tuesday, there is an all-hands meeting for command staff.
- “It used to be that people would sit in my desk-facing chair and quake,” said van der Kamp. “Now I randomly call extensions, and invite the person who answers to come into my office and chat. I’ve already seen 100+ employees this way.”
- Employees at all levels of the organization are invited to attend gatherings — whether meetings or large events.
- If he runs into an employee while heading out of the DCSO, the Sheriff will routinely invite that person to “walk and talk,” first down the hall, then in the parking lot. Recently, he had a meeting scheduled with the County Tax Collector, and invited the deputy who had been walking with him to come and sit in the meeting. “He asked great questions, and I urged him to tell everyone what he learned.”
- The same “human connection” (in his words) has been made when Sheriff van der Kamp does his weekly podcast show on KBND Newstalk Radio, and invites a DSCO deputy to participate. Among various examples: “One day I told the host that ‘I’m sending two surprise guests — husband and wife deputies, one of whom is a K9 detective.’ They just crushed it.”
- The Sheriff has corrected some of the previous policies: DCSO now “allows facial hair and tattoos (to represent today’s society), more comfortable uniforms and different shirts in black for a more professional appearance.”
Promotion & Accreditation Process ‘Creates Health and Growth Across the Board’
The previous promotion process, according to Lt. Minton, “was almost a quid pro quo — ‘you do something for me, and I’ll do something for you’ — rather than considering the betterment of DCSO in service of the community. Many highly qualified people were passed over.”
“I knew I had to make the process open, transparent, and rapid,” said Sheriff van der Kamp, “so what could take months in the past now takes a single day, and includes three ‘stations,’ one of which consists of an outside panel of community members, nonprofit leaders, and business owners who provide a fresh perspective.” (This is also true when making hiring decisions.) The second station is comprised of coworkers, and the third of DCSO division captains. All applications are analyzed and critiqued using a scoreboard, with the findings subsequently shared — eliminating the possibility of “playing favorites.’”
Commenting on the accreditation process, “DCSO did not have a robust one before,” said Lt. McLaughlin. “When someone did 99 things out of 100 with excellence and bravery, the one thing they didn’t do correctly was singled out — the result was a loss of motivation and confidence.”
“In the environment under the new sheriff (with a redesigned recognition program that encourages people to nominate their colleagues), those 99 things are now primary, and the troops can internalize the one shortcoming, and seek out people to help them. This creates health and growth across the board,” said McLaughlin, “and makes for a great learning environment — exceeding what we’ve ever known before.”
“Under the new administration, it’s up to us to apply and compete for positions — none of us were promised anything,” said Lt. Minton. “We know that finally our body of work and spirit of service will be recognized — we have been given the opportunity to prove our worth.”
“Promotions are celebrated,” he added, “creating an environment where everyone is supported. Everybody in the office has the attitude that ‘we’ll be working harder for so many other people,’ which results in getting a better product across the board.”
A ‘Completely Dissected and Overhauled’ Budget
Since Sheriff van der Kamp assumed office on January 1, DCSO has saved $2.8 million through what he terms “responsible budgeting and scrutinizing unregulated/uncontrolled spending. On day one, we completely dissected and overhauled the $67 million budget — from top to bottom,” he said.
(For reference, DCSO’s sheriff oversees the 3,055-square-mile county, and manages 260 employees. DCSO’s budget includes patrol services (throughout Deschutes County and the unincorporated cities of Sisters and La Pine), corrections, court security, search and rescue, administrative services, special services, SWAT, and automotive maintenance.)
Among the resultant actions of overhauling the budget, “we updated the hot water system; got rid of 200 out-of-date computers and related hardware; and saved $800 per patrol car by having the vehicle identification badges redesigned,” said van der Kamp.
(The DCSO had been paying $1,400 per police car badge, and the same cost to replace them every three years [as the vinyl-on-vinyl stickers didn’t adhere well]. The new identification comes with a warranty good for the life of the vehicle [there are 20 in DCSO’s fleet], which van der Kamp calls a “better use of taxpayer money, and an example of our very frugal approach to the budget.”)
Another budgetary focus has been updating policies to eliminate duplicative services. “Although Deschutes County’s general fund is not used by DCSO, we — like other departments — are charged for HR, payroll and IT services, even if they also exist in-house. We’ll no longer be paying downtown $148,000 a year for these redundancies,” he said.
Further, just as the private sector increasingly utilizes outsourcing, DCSO has eliminated two in-house attorneys, Sheriff van der Kamp explained. “Instead, as a foundation, we now use an outsourcing system that adheres to nationwide and state standards, and which has already proven far more efficient and cost effective.”
‘The Elephant in the Room’
As reported extensively in the Bulletin and other local media outlets, Sheriff van der Kamp has been surrounded by controversy for several months. According to a draft report by Oregon’s law enforcement certification agency, he violated its moral fitness standards when lying about his past with a California police agency.
The report also found that van der Kamp harmed the “efficient operations of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the public’s trust by intentionally falsifying documents,” and that “van der Kamp’s dishonesty under oath discredits the law enforcement profession and the standing of DCSO in the community.”
Separately, the Deschutes County District Attorney’s office placed Sheriff van der Kamp on a Brady list for giving false testimony in criminal cases, potentially leading to the dismissal of an unknown number of convictions.
“DCSO is now dealing with a public trust issue,” admitted Lt. McLaughlin. “It’s the elephant in the room. But there’s a strong sense that we want to continue moving forward in restoring internal trust and prioritizing the cultural shift that is occurring — a shift marked by open, candid dialogue and lines of communication.”
“My colleagues and I really care about our deputies, training them in the job we do every day, creating a professional atmosphere, and providing better service to the community,” added Lt. Minton. “Under Sheriff van der Kamp, accountability is back. At the same time, I want DCSO to go in the best direction without drama affecting our lives.”
“So many twists and turns have led to uncertainty and frustration,” said van der Kamp in responding to the controversy. “But in order to encourage energy and momentum, I tell my colleagues at DCSO, “I’ll take care of me; you take care of the public.”
“Since taking office, I have worked tirelessly to restore transparency, integrity, and fiscal responsibility within our agency,” said van der Kamp, “and we’ve made significant progress together.”
“In evaluating the best path forward for the Sheriff’s Office and Deschutes County, I remain committed to serving this community and to ensuring that the footing we’ve established continues with strength and stability. We’re still out there working, and have some amazing talent and leaders here.”
