The Deschutes County District Attorney’s office placed Sheriff Kent 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, District Attorney Steve Gunnels said on Monday.

“As part of my obligations as Deschutes County District Attorney, the Sheriff has been placed on our Brady list. As a result, our office will not call him as a witness in any criminal case. We also have a duty to notify criminal defense attorneys of his status,” Gunnels said.

Gunnels believes van der Kamp lied in “more than one” instance. He could not confirm the number of cases brought into question, but estimated the number of instances where van der Kamp has testified as “likely in the dozens.” Before he was sheriff, van der Kamp led the county’s drug enforcement team and has been employed by the sheriff’s office since 2008.

Brady lists are a record typically kept by district attorney’s offices of law enforcement officers who have a track record of lying or who cannot be relied on for truthful testimony. The document is not legally binding, and being placed on a Brady list does not necessarily mean accompanying criminal charges. In Deschutes County, there are eight officers on the Brady list now including van der Kamp. 

In an email to The Bulletin on Friday, van der Kamp said he was unaware of the situation. At the time, van der Kamp believed the Brady listing was connected to an incident from his time at the La Mesa Police Department in California, where he was found to have lied about having a radar gun certification. The incident received significant media attention during the election, despite occurring decades ago.

“My attorney has not sent me any expected info and I have not talked with the district attorney. It stems from the La Mesa internal investigation done by the previous administration,” van der Kamp said Friday.

Gunnels says the situation is being investigated by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, which has already launched a professional standards inquiry into allegations surrounding van der Kamp’s time in La Mesa. 

Sam Tenney, communications coordinator for the state licensing agency, said any additional moral fitness allegations submitted against van der Kamp will be incorporated into existing investigations because it is impossible for one person to have multiple professional standards cases open at a time. If the department finds van der Kamp guilty of violating its moral fitness standards, it is possible his law enforcement credentials could be revoked. 

The satire website DCSO Follies — which was supportive of van der Kamp during the election — has not posted online since he took office on Jan. 1; however on Monday a Facebook post appeared calling for van der Kamp’s resignation after his Brady listing went public.

“Van der Kamp should resign immediately as he is unfit to be Sheriff,” the post says. “Simply put he has betrayed the citizens and voters of Deschutes County, his agency and the criminal justice system.”

Van der Kamp did not immediately respond to The Bulletin’s request for another comment Monday morning. Shortly after 3 p.m., van der Kamp released a statement acknowledging Gunnels’ allegations. 

“I am deeply disappointed by the recent decision by District Attorney Steve Gunnels to place me on the Brady list. While I respectfully dispute the reasoning behind this action, I understand the seriousness of the situation and the impact it may have on the Sheriff’s Office and the public’s trust,” van der Kamp said. “At this time, I am working closely with my command team, legal counsel, and county officials to fully understand the implications of this decision and carefully evaluate the best path forward for the Sheriff’s Office and Deschutes County.”