Devin Lewis

Devin Lewis, who has been Redmond Police Department’s second in command since 2019, will become the city’s next police chief at the start of the new year.

Lewis, who has more than 20 years of experience in Central Oregon law enforcement, was selected following a national search, City Manager Keith Witcosky said.

“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead and support our excellent team at the Redmond Police Department,” Lewis said in a statement. “My commitment to the residents of Redmond is to keep moving the Redmond Police Department forward in a progressive and community-based manner, allowing us to grow and evolve with our community as we work together to make Redmond the safest city in Oregon.”

Lewis was the only finalist to replace Chief Dave Tarbet, who will retire Dec. 31.

Prior to joining the Redmond Police Department in 2019, Lewis spent nearly 16 years at the Bend Police Department where he left as a lieutenant.

Before his time in Bend, he served as a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputy. He graduated magna cum laude from Washington State University, earning a degree in sociology.

Lewis received the Sgt. John Lawrence Award of Excellence in 2016 and was recognized by the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office and the Victims’ Assistance program with the 2018 Crime Victims Award.

Witcosky said the city conducted an extensive search and received interest from coast to coast.

“Anyone who has worked with Devin knows his entire career has led up to this day,” Witcosky said in a statement. “His ethics and integrity are beyond reproach, and Redmond will benefit greatly with him as our Police Chief. He understands the complex issues that police across the country are grappling with and is completely capable of leading the department into a new era of policing.”

Lewis said leading the city’s relocation and expansion of the police station is one of his top priorities. 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.

He said the goal is to have a new facility built within the next five years that can grow and evolve to meet the needs of the community and department for decades to come.

Lewis said that as the city’s population grows, he also wants to ensure the department staffs enough police officers to meet the needs in the community.

“We’re seeing how obviously community expectations for law enforcement are changing,” he added. “There’s a lot of challenges the city’s looking at with houselessness and our increase with mental health calls.”

He said the department will have to leverage all of their partnerships in the community to address those challenges.