Sheriff's candidates address background questions

The two candidates for Deschutes County Sheriff have released documents clarifying information about their background in what has become a highly contentious race.

After his education credentials were called into question, Captain William Bailey provided a memo from Oregon’s law enforcement certification agency demonstrating that he has more than the required number of college credits for the management and executive police certifications he holds.

The memo was issued by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) after the agency received complaints arising from articles published by DCSO Follies, claiming that Bailey didn’t meet the credential requirements for the certifications he included in his curriculum vitae in the Voter’s Pamphlet.

DCSO Follies is a Facebook page that has been harshly critical of Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office leadership. DCSO Follies acknowledged and accepted the accuracy of the DPSST release, and pledged to take down the original post.

Earlier, Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp published documents detailing his tenure as a reserve police officer in La Mesa, California, in the 1990s. The documents detailed several incidents where Vander Kamp was found to be in violation of policies, including an accusation that he was not forthcoming about whether he was trained and certified in the use of a radar gun. The documents do not include a letter of termination.

Vander Kamp did not list his tenure in La Mesa as work experience when he applied with Deschutes County, nor in his campaign filings. Vander Kamp promised to release the documents and they are now available via his campaign website.

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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