A candidate for Jefferson County sheriff is drawing attention from state police watchdogs.
Later this month, former Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy Tyler Anderson will face a state review over allegations of misconduct and dishonesty on the job. That process could lead to the state stripping Anderson of his credentials to serve in Oregon law enforcement, a requirement for sheriffs.
The conflict is expected to play out as he campaigns to be the next sheriff of a rural Central Oregon county that’s struggled to staff its law enforcement agencies in recent years.
In neighboring Deschutes County, a similar state probe led to the resignation of an elected sheriff in 2024.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office fired Anderson last year, after he’d spent a decade with the agency. His termination papers allege that Anderson was “untruthful” on multiple occasions, records obtained by OPB show.
This year, Anderson filed to run against the man who fired him. Sitting sheriff Jason Pollock is seeking re-election to a second term.
He terminated Anderson following an internal investigation that found the deputy violated office policies by having an improper relationship with an informant, omitting information about a previous termination from an Idaho police department, and for not disclosing allegedly using and helping distribute cocaine while in college, according to documents provided by Jefferson County through a public records request.
Following Anderson’s termination, two Central Oregon district attorneys’ offices — Jefferson and Crook County — added him to their respective Brady lists, which means prosecutors won’t call on him to testify.
Anderson has spent the last year contesting his termination, claiming that nearly all of the charges against him are false and that Pollock unfairly targeted him because he didn’t support the sheriff’s 2022 bid for office.
Anderson said he didn’t disclose his previous drug use, but he did experiment with substances while in college – though he says he never helped distribute them.
“When I was in college, I tried cocaine, marijuana, and mushrooms all pretty much in the same month when I first got into college,” Anderson said. “I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve changed a lot, and nothing I’m being accused of has anything to do with me in the line of duty.”
Now that he is seeking to unseat his former boss, “I want to share with the community the stuff I’m going to do to help them,” Anderson said in an interview, “And by them seeing my past and seeing what I’ve been through, I hope it just opens their eyes to things that are happening.”
In an email to OPB, Pollock said, “I do not agree with the characterization that this matter was politically or personally motivated.”
He cited the findings from the third-party investigator his department hired for its internal investigation, independent reviews by two district attorneys, and the ongoing state probe.
For his part, Anderson has threatened to sue Jefferson County for “wrongful termination, unequal treatment, violations of the First Amendment and defamation” among other allegations, according to a tort claim notice he filed last year.
A state police certification oversight committee is expected to take up the issue of Anderson’s future in law enforcement next.
The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training’s public policy committee is set to vote May 21 on whether they agree with the allegations first brought against Anderson by the sheriff’s office.
“If the PPC finds that he violated Board-established moral fitness standards, they will likely recommend that the Board take action on his certifications,” Sam Tenney, communications coordinator for DPSST, wrote in an email.
Misconduct findings can mean losing certification for three to 10 years. Dishonesty findings could mean a permanent ban in Oregon, according to Tenney. Elected sheriffs in Oregon must be certified within a year of taking office, under state law.
Last year, former Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp resigned shortly before DPSST voted to strip him of his badge over its investigators’ findings that he was dishonest about his work experience and educational credentials.
Tenney said the staff findings on Anderson are based on a review of the sheriff’s department’s internal investigation. The state hasn’t done an independent investigation.
If the DPSST board ultimately votes to revoke Anderson’s law enforcement credentials and he wants to contest the decision, he’d be able to present evidence and witnesses at that point, Tenney added.
Anderson said he’s confident the state won’t take that step.
“Once they see the facts and we have all the witness statements that we get to put in that will actually be listened to and paid attention to, I think I’ll keep my certifications.”
