The sheriff’s race in Deschutes County was one of the most hotly contested local bouts on the ballot in the Nov. 5 election, sparking turmoil, lawsuits and even allegations of election interference. But the transition to new leadership at the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is underway and both sheriff-elect Kent Vander Kamp and the agency’s current top officials promise a smooth transition.

Vander Kamp, a longtime sheriff’s office employee and sergeant with an interagency drug enforcement team, defeated Capt. William Bailey in a contentious fight to replace outgoing Sheriff Shane Nelson.

Bailey was not available for comment, but Vander Kamp said Nelson has made clear his commitment to a seamless transition.

“The office has been very cordial and generous with their time in terms of preparing for that change, including the sheriff. He and I have spoken, and he is committed to a nice, smooth, peaceful transition, which obviously take a lot of stress off the rest of the office,” Vander Kamp said.

Over the year leading up to the election, tensions in the sheriff’s office rose to the point that three employees in addition to Vander Kamp filed tort claim notices — the official notification of a lawsuit — against the agency for workplace bullying and political retaliation. Tensions also became evident when Nelson appointed Paul Garrison as undersheriff to address election-related issues inside the agency.

Garrison, who is now leading a team of representatives to facilitate the transition, echoed Nelson’s promise for a smooth transition.

“We’re trying to make this as seamless of a process as possible, so that the bottom line — that service delivery to the citizens — is not interrupted in any shape or form,” said Garrison.

“That’s the most important thing: that the mission of the sheriff’s office continues to serve the public.”

Inside the transition

Both Vander Kamp and Garrison highlighted how complicated the process of transitioning to a new sheriff is, especially considering the agency’s tendency to have a new sheriff appointed upon the retirement of the previous sheriff. This allows the appointed sheriff to run for the office as an incumbent and is how Nelson won the seat as an incumbent in 2016 despite never having been elected to the office.

The 2024 election is the first since 2000, when Les Stiles defeated incumbent Greg Brown, that a transition of leadership is taking place to someone who was not a hand-picked successor to the outgoing sheriff, and there is a lot more that goes into it than most people think.

“I was almost going to say it’s a transfer of property between one person to another, but that’s an oversimplification of it,” Garrison said. “It’s a very complex process … We have the jail where we have to account for a list of inmates, and there are various outstanding warrants that the current sheriff would need to be aware of … so it’s basically a knowledge base that’s being provided to them.”

Part of that transition includes creating inventories and transferring ownership of property, whether it’s paper clips or patrol cars. Vander Kamp will even need to review all the agency’s policies and re-codify them with his signature instead of Nelson’s. On the county’s side, the transition also includes initiating a full audit of the sheriff’s office and certifying the election through the clerk’s office.

One thing Vander Kamp said most people may not know is that all the sheriff’s deputies must be re-deputized when a new sheriff takes office. Those deputies, he explained, were sworn in under Nelson, and now they all must swear new oaths to defend the Constitution under the new administration.

“There’s a lot of nuances, but the framework was already there and ready to go,” Vander Kamp said. “Basically, you’re changing ownership of a really big business.”

The first 90 days

Vander Kamp won’t assume his new position as sheriff until Jan. 12, when Oregon elected officials take office on the second Monday of January, but he already has several objectives for his first new months in office.

In particular, he wants to start by focusing on community engagement and getting feedback on what the people of Deschutes County feel they need from the sheriff’s office.

“I am looking to start with some listening sessions. Hosting meetings with community groups, local leaders and residents from all four corners of our county will help me better understand their needs and really what their concerns are, especially when it comes to homelessness and traffic safety,” Vander Kamp told The Bulletin.

One idea Vander Kamp has to address concerns over traffic safety is to create an interagency team for fatal traffic accidents similar to the interagency drug enforcement team, Central Oregon Drug Enforcement, that Vander Kamp currently leads.

“I’m going to propose with our partner agencies (Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Transportation) that we develop and design a major traffic crash investigation team where we share resources and talent and investigate these fatal crashes thoroughly,” Vander Kamp said.

Good ideas have been flowing through the office lately, Vander Kamp said.

“I’ve gotten probably 300-400 phone calls from my co-workers with tips and ideas. That’s a blessing, because when you’ve got the support of the office — such a large percentage of the office — it makes pushing this big rock up the hill a lot easier.”