By Kimberly Cortez
oregonlive.com
The state’s police certification agency unanimously voted Thursday to strip Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp of his police certification for life.
Van der Kamp said in June that he was resigning from office as of the end of July.
The Board on Public Safety Standards and Training, which reviews individual certification cases, revoked van der Kamp’s certification after Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels placed him on a list of officers with questionable credibility, known as a Brady list.
The district attorney’s office found that van der Kamp had falsely testified under oath about his educational background and had submitted records that falsely claimed he had degrees from the University of Arizona and the University of Southern California in two criminal cases.
The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training also found him in violation of moral-fitness rules for concealing his firing from a California police department. Records from the La Mesa, California , police department detail concerns that van der Kamp had engaged in “serious incidents of misconduct” in the late 1990s.
Van der Kamp has served 22 years with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and was elected sheriff last November.
In late June, a group of community members launched a recall campaign aimed at removing van der Kamp from office. Hours after the group launched the campaign, van der Kamp emailed his resignation to the county’s commissioners.
Van der Kamp is contesting the proposed revocation of his certifications, according to Sam Tenney , the communications coordinator for the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training .
Since he contested the decision, his certifications will remain valid until the case process is completed and a final order is issued, Tenney said.
—Kimberly Cortez covers breaking news, public safety and more for The Oregonian /OregonLive. She can be reached at kcortez@oregonian.com
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