A Deschutes County Sheriff's Office deputy.

Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson announced Tuesday he has appointed an undersheriff to handle election-related issues for the duration of his term, in an apparent attempt to curtail political tension in the department ahead of the November election.

“The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has two internal candidates for the Office of Sheriff, Captain William Bailey and Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp. Like many political matters, this dynamic can be divisive for our Office and employees,” Nelson stated in his announcement, which was posted on the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office facebook page. “Considering the current election for Sheriff and the transition to a new Sheriff, I am appointing Captain Paul Garrison to Undersheriff.”

Nelson did not respond to The Bulletin’s request for comment, instead directing questions to the new undersheriff. Garrison explained that his primary duty will be to serve as Nelson’s second-in-command. He will also handle all internal grievances and assist the transition to the next administration when the new sheriff is elected.

Nelson’s motivation, he said, is to promote a smooth transition.

“The sheriff is outgoing, and there is a need for a bridge between this administration and the new incoming administration, regardless of who it is. (Nelson) wants to ensure those day-to-day functions are overseen,” Garrison said.

Tensions in the sheriff’s officeDavid Doyle, Deschutes County legal counsel, said the election has not caused the sheriff’s office any legal issues to date.

However, tort claim notices — the official notification of a potential lawsuit — filed by three sheriff’s office employees give a glimpse into the internal dynamics of the department.

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Sergeant alleges discrimination, political retaliation at sheriff’s office

Sgt. Jeremiah Minton, Sgt. James McLaughlin and Deputy Matthew Palmer have all alleged that there is a culture of political discrimination within the sheriff’s office. Minton and McLaughlin both directly accuse department leaders in their tort claim notices of discriminating against employees if they support Vander Kamp instead of Bailey, the candidate endorsed by Nelson.

McLaughlin, specifically, said in his tort claim that he was retaliated against for giving a campaign speech in support of Vander Kamp.

“Since this speech, Sergeant McLaughlin has been warned by many ranking officials in the Sheriff’s office to ‘tone down’ his support for the political candidate, to not ‘lose your career’ over this candidate and other insinuations from high-ranking officers,” McLaughlin’s tort claim notice said.

Minton detailed similar admonitions in his tort claim notice, as well as additional instances of retaliation and discrimination for his connection with Vander Kamp.

Previous allegations against NelsonThe 2024 election is not the first time Nelson has experienced allegations of political discrimination, nor is it the first time two opposing candidates for sheriff have served in the department.

In fact, Nelson himself ran as an incumbent against Deputy Eric Kozowski in 2016, but did not appoint an undersheriff to deal with election-related issues then.

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‘Vindication’ for Kozowski; jury awards fired sheriff’s deputy $1M

Just over a year after Nelson was elected, he fired Kozowski for conduct, although Kozowski had a clean personnel record prior to the election. Kozowski subsequently sued the sheriff’s office for wrongful termination and was awarded more than $1 million in economic damages.

The jury in the federal civil trial also held Nelson personally liable for $10,000 in punitive damages.

Garrison was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, but was found not to have violated Kozowski’s rights.

When asked if Kozowski’s lawsuit was a motivating factor for Nelson to distance himself from the current political tensions, Garrison said “that has never even been a topic of discussion.”

Undersheriff role

Garrison’s official job description states he will “represent the Sheriff in public meetings, respond to investigations, complaints, and grievances, as well as supervise command level staff.

“The Undersheriff will direct, oversee, and administer all in house investigations, complaints, grievances, audits, and budget.

“ The Undersheriff will supervise the Sheriff’s Office HR and Business unit.”

Garrison confirmed what Nelson said in his release that election related issues were delegated to him in the fall of 2023, around the time Vander Kamp announced his candidacy.

He said he would continue in that capacity, and “oversee the day to day operations … to ensure that we are meeting the sheriff’s office mission on a daily basis.”

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The salary range advertised by the county for the position was between $139,500 — $187,000 annually.

Currently, Garrison’s annual pay is $178,131.12, and County Human Resources Director Kathleen Hinman said he will receive a 5% increase as undersheriff.

Before his promotion, Garrison served as the detective and special services commander.

He has 29 years of law enforcement experience.

Vander Kamp did not respond to The Bulletin’s request for comment regarding Nelson’s decision, but Bailey said in a statement:

“I respect the leadership move that Sheriff Nelson made and trust that Undersheriff Paul Garrison will appropriately address internal matters, and the transition to a new sheriff at the beginning of next year.”