Redmond Police Chief Dave Tarbet

When Dave Tarbet joined the Redmond Police Department in 2008 as a captain, he had already retired from the Logan Police Department in Utah after 22 years in law enforcement. He was excited to resume police work, a profession he has known he has wanted to join since he was 9 years old.

Tarbet was appointed to interim chief in 2011 when Chief Ronnie Roberts moved to lead the Olympia Police Department in Washington state, and was named the police chief later that year.

Now, after what he calls the best years of his career, Tarbet plans to retire as Redmond’s chief. In June, he announced his plans to retire at the end of December. Devin Lewis, who has been the department’s captain since 2019, is the only finalist to replace Tarbet. The city plans to announce the decision on Wednesday.

“Working at Redmond has been one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had,” Tarbet said. “The 14 years here have been the best of my law enforcement career. I hired some outstanding people and leave it in good hands, that’s for sure.”

During his tenure, Tarbet worked to improve outreach, improving partnerships with schools, businesses and mental health partners.

He created the Street Crimes Unit, which is deployed to address property and drug crimes, launched an online crime reporting tool, initiated and became the first department in the region to use body cameras and worked to get the department properly staffed.

Tarbet created a forensic computer position, a role similar-sized departments often do not have, to handle an increase in digital evidence. In the last two years, the department also added a training sergeant to oversee the in-service training in the department and enhance the quality of the training, an idea initiated by Lewis, Tarbet said.

He was proud to promote the first female sergeant in the department’s history a couple of years ago. Tarbet said the department has continued to expand its diversity at all levels, becoming the most diverse in Central Oregon.

He also put in place a succession planning strategy that led to his replacement being in-house and built his current command staff.

In his time at the department, calls to help people in crisis have grown enormously. When he started, there were about 120 to 240 calls per year. Now, police are responding to more than 700 crisis calls per year.

Tarbet said most of the staff has crisis intervention training, which has become a critical skill for law enforcement officers.

He also initiated the planning for the relocation and expansion of the police station. The facility is expected to include a mental health triage center and the city plans to ask voters to approve a general obligation bond to help fund the project in May 2022.

Tarbet said working with his team and providing mentorship and advice when needed has been his greatest satisfaction. Tarbet is proud to be leaving the department better than he found it, and he credits his team for building and moving the department forward.

Lt. Jesse Petersen, a spokesman for the department, said Tarbet “has been a foundational leader, instrumental in steering the ship of progress at our agency.

“His steadfast leadership and mentoring has been invaluable,” Peterson said. “We are grateful for his commitment to this department and our community. We wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement.”

City Manager Keith Witcosky said he was fortunate to work with Tarbet for most of his time as chief.

“As he heads into retirement, he has left his indelible traits within the department: integrity, honesty, and compassion,” Witcosky said. “You can walk anywhere in the community and his reputation is legendary.”

Mayor George Endicott praised Tarbet’s tutelage at the department.

“We have maintained a professional workforce and seen our officers and staff keep their morale, even in the face of national upheavals in policing, and the impact of the pandemic,” Endicott said in an email. “Chief Tarbet is quite the fisherman, especially for steelhead on the Deschutes River. I have gone fishing with him a couple of occasions. He is just as gracious out of work as he is at work.”