Level with voters

When Captain William Bailey and Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp squared off to run for Deschutes County Sheriff after Shane Nelson announced his retirement, my initial reaction was that voters would have a choice between two capable men with different but impressive backgrounds and skillsets, either of whom are well-positioned to lead their agency into a demanding future.

Vander Kamp has done stellar work as the leader of field operations for the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE). We see their work frequently at the edge of town, as CODE hooks up drug trafficking suspects moving between Salem and Bend on Highway 20. Bailey has a broad range of experience in all of the functions of DCSO, and built strong relationships in Sisters as the interim leader of the Sisters substation when the City of Sisters enhanced its contract with the agency.

The race has revealed candidates whose integrity or leadership are potentially compromised. They have some serious explaining to do to Deschutes County voters.

Captain Bailey, like Sheriff Nelson, has consistently dismissed or downplayed rumblings of discontent among DCSO personnel as either the result of staffing pressures or the complaints of discontented employees, the likes of which will be found in any large organization. The picture they paint is of an organization that is generally healthy and “on the right track.” Yet the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Employees Association voted overwhelmingly last week to endorse Vander Kamp. That is a telling indication that the employees are not happy with the status quo.

Lawsuits and tort claims by employees, including Vander Kamp, describe a culture of favoritism, and political retaliation for dissent. Claims accuse department leaders, including Captain Bailey, of suppressing speech or discriminating against employees if they support Vander Kamp. The Nugget has talked to former DCSO employees who have expressed deep dissatisfaction with the culture of the Sheriff’s Office — off the record because they fear retaliation.

Captain Bailey has to face this cultural crisis forthrightly. He owes it to the voters to stop acting as though everything is really just fine, acknowledge that there is a significant concern, and offer concrete plans to fix it. It’s hard to be an agent of change when you’re part of the command structure that is at the heart of the matter — but it can be done. It requires humility, listening more than talking, and taking ownership of the imperative for change.

Recent reporting by Morgan Owen at The Bulletin has highlighted concerns about Sergeant Vander Kamp’s tenure as an unpaid reserve officer with the La Mesa, California, police department in 1995-97. Vander Kamp did not list his employment with La Mesa in his application for a job with DCSO, nor on his candidate filings.

Vander Kamp has said the work revolved around directing traffic, and wasn’t really police work. He has said he doesn’t recall the circumstances of his departure from the position. That’s not credible. People don’t forget why they left a job. And, according to Owen’s reporting, court records indicate that Vander Kamp was terminated for cause.

Vander Kamp needs to come clean with voters and tell us what happened in La Mesa, good, bad or ugly. Voters can then decide whether a nearly three-decade old matter is relevant to them in choosing their sheriff.

The candidate’s attorney reportedly offered that Vander Kamp intends to share records on the matter when he has them in hand. We cannot wait for a legal process that may run past the date of the election. Voters need to know now what happened so they can make an informed decision at the ballot box.

Deschutes County is seeing metropolitan area crime and calls for service. We need and deserve a high-functioning sheriff’s office. If either Vander Kamp or Bailey are to effectively lead DCSO in this environment, they need to start by being straight with the voters, taking responsibility for any past missteps, and showing us that they are the right man to lead our largest law enforcement agency into the challenges of the future.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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