Deschutes Sheriff Nelson fills five leadership positions

Deschutes County Sheriff L. Shane Nelson announced Wednesday five promotions for the sheriff’s office, including two new captains, one lieutenant and two sergeants.

Nelson called it a positive day for his agency after many setbacks in recent months.

“This is a very exciting day for our office and for the community that we serve,” Nelson said.

The appointments come amid a tumultuous time for the sheriff’s office, from a lawsuit over a jail death to the recent arrest of one former sheriff’s captain, Scott Beard, on federal theft and money-laundering charges and the departure of another captain, Erik Utter, accused of having an affair with a female subordinate in the agency.

Paul Garrison will take over former captain Erik Utter’s position as patrol captain and the detective unit will see a new captain John Bocciolatt.

He was hired by the Sheriff’s Office earlier to look into the criminal investigation of Scott Beard. Bocciolatt also made some preliminary recommendations of changes to the sheriff’s office policies and procedures in an effort to prevent more problems.

Nelson also named two new sergeants Mike Sundberg and Jeff Sundberg, who are brothers. They have worked for the agency for several years. Ty Rupert will be the new lieutenant.

Bocciolatt said the detective unit has done an outstanding job handling the investigation into the shooting death of the refuge occupier LaVoy Finicum, who was shot and killed by Oregon State Police troopers in late January.

“As a team, I will listen to them and find out were they think the problems are before I come in an say what the problems are,” Bocciolatt said.

Nelson said Bocciolatt will be a great asset to the agency.

He said he sought recommendations from his peers and the community on selecting this new team.

The sheriff’s said the criminal investigation of Scott Beard will continue and his office is looking for someone outside the agency to continue that investigation.

He also said his office still trying to figure out how Beard’s background file disappeared.

“Right now, were looking at somebody that would have been close with the sheriff’s office, because it was a secure room where the files were kept,” Nelson said.

The sheriff said his office will continue to move forward, despite the recent turmoil. He said thinks his new administration will bring fresh ideas to the organization.

Nelson said the administration team will be sworn in later this month.

Below is the news release in full from the sheriff’s office.

Through Sheriff Nelson’s leadership, a new internal process was developed for his team to provide input into the promotional process along with community input as to who the leadership in the office should be.

“This new process has already fostered a new culture within the organization and operations by changing how we work together as a team and listen to the citizens in our community who we so appreciate and proudly serve,” says Sheriff Nelson.

As a result of the employee and citizens’ feedback, one of the appointments is from outside the organization.

Two New Captains Announced

Detective Captain John Bocciolatt
Captain Bocciolatt comes to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office with 28 years experience with the Portland Police Bureau retiring as a Detective Sergeant assigned to Internal Affairs.

During his career with the Portland Police Bureau his team put two serial killers behind bars, co-supervising the Forest Park Serial Murder case, and, solving the Sebastian Shaw Serial Murder case. He holds a Masters in Administration of Criminal Justice from the University of Portland.

Most recently, Bocciolatt was hired as Special Commander in the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.

Patrol Captain Paul Garrison
Captain Garrison started with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office in 1997 and has served as a peace officer for a total of 21 years. He holds an Associate of Arts Degree from Central Oregon Community College with continuing course work through Portland State University and holds a Middle Management Certificate from the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

Most recently he served at the Administrative Lieutenant and is the Special Operations Team Commander for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. He is a former Vice President of the Pine Ridge Elementary PTA and coached youth sports within Deschutes County.

One New Lieutenant Announced

Lieutenant Ty Rupert
Lieutenant Rupert started his law enforcement career with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office in 2005. Prior to his law enforcement career he was in private business for 14 years with the last six of those years serving as Vice President.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years graduating as Platoon Honor Man from Marine Boot Camp. He was honorably discharged in 1991.

During his career with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, he has held the positions of Reserve Deputy, Patrol Sergeant, Detective and served on the Employee Association Board.

He has served as a Bend Little League assistant coach and currently assists with the Mt. View High School Boys Golf Team.

Two New Sergeants Announced

Sergeant Mike Sundberg
Sergeant Sundberg served as a full-time deputy for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office since 2003, with prior law enforcement experience for the Sheriff’s Office as a field law enforcement technician. He served in the United States Navy for 5 years as a hospital corpsman.

Sergeant Sundberg’s education background includes courses from Central Oregon Community College and Clackamas Community College. He holds advanced police certificates from the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

He served as an assistant team leader for the Special Operations Team since its inception in 2008, a Narcotics Detective with the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team as well as a criminal and street crimes detective within the Sheriff’s Office Detectives Division.

Sergeant Jeff Sundberg
Sergeant Sundberg has served as a corrections deputy for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office since 2004 and is the brother of fellow new Sergeant Mike Sundberg. He was in the United States Navy for 4 years.

His education includes courses for Emergency Medical Technician and holds an intermediate certificate from the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

He has been a member of the Special Operations Team for almost 8 years. Sergeant Sundberg helped reopen the Work Center in 2008 and has served as a Work Crew deputy for 2.5 years.

He is a former service member of the Oregon National Guard.

The new leadership announcements create new avenues for the sheriff’s office to charge forward with key objectives and are a critical step in exploring the future of crime tendencies and community policing based on Central Oregon’s fast-paced community growth.

In tandem, new operational procedures have been a key focus within Sheriff Nelson’s organization to ensure a fiscally responsible team, as well as, continued review of how audits and financial transactions are conducted.

The mission of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is to serve our community by providing superior public safety and service, in an ethical and fiscally responsible manner, while preserving the rights of all individuals. http://sheriff.deschutes.org