Commissioners appoint Kent van der Kamp as Sheriff

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners approved the appointment of Kent van der Kamp as Deschutes County Sheriff for the period of January 1, 2025, until his term of office begins on January 6, 2025.

The appointment is required by state law (ORS 236.210) because Sheriff Shane Nelson retires on Dec. 31, leaving the position vacant until van der Kamp can be officially sworn in at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 6.

"I am deeply honored to accept the appointment by the Board of Commissioners to serve as Deschutes County Sheriff during this transitional period. I look forward to officially stepping into this role and continuing to build on the trust and collaboration our community deserves,” said Sheriff-elect Kent van der Kamp.

“I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Sheriff Shane Nelson for his decades of dedicated service. I wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement."

Last November, voters elected van der Kamp to serve as the tenth Sheriff of Deschutes County. He will oversee the department’s budget and manage more than 260 department employees, including patrol and corrections officers, court security, a search and rescue team, SWAT, administrative and special services, and automotive maintenance.

Sheriff-elect van der Kamp has had an extensive, 22-year career with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. Among his many titles, van der Kamp served as a Patrol Sergeant, a Criminal Detective, an Internal Affairs Investigator and he supervised the department’s SWAT paramedic team.

Sheriff-elect van der Kamp replaces Shane Nelson who was appointed Sheriff in 2015 following the early retirement of Larry Blanton. Nelson was elected to the position in 2016 and again in 2020.

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Media contact:

Kim Katchur, Public Information Officer

(541) 322-7441