Sheriff Ty Rupert stresses transparency and honesty at town hall meeting in Redmond

Redmond, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County Sheriff Ty Rupert held a town hall meeting in Redmond to address community concerns and discuss his first seven months in office. The meeting, held at the VFW building, lasted more than 2 hours and covered topics ranging from gun rights to immigration enforcement.

The event is part of a countywide town hall tour Rupert is conducting to rebuild public trust following a loss of faith in the department in previous years. During the meeting, Rupert highlighted his personal history and the work completed since he became sheriff approximately seven months ago.

Throughout the session, Rupert spoke with community members about the different needs across Deschutes County. He emphasized the importance of transparency and honesty in his leadership. Rupert said these meetings provide him with insight into how his office can improve its service to the region.

"And it also gives me an opportunity to learn what their concerns are and how we can better serve them," said Rupert, sheriff of Deschutes County. "As a sheriff's office and also as a sheriff, one of the questions I asked was, what do they expect out of their sheriff? And you heard honesty, integrity, transparency."

The town hall featured a question-and-answer period where Rupert encouraged attendees to ask difficult questions. He told the crowd that he does not intend to avoid hard topics or scrutiny.

"And as you know, some of these questions asked tonight are difficult questions," Rupert said. "And I made it clear to them that I'm not going to run from those questions. That's not how I get better. If I run away from a question, they expect a sheriff that will be able to stand strong, be honest and transparent and answer their questions to the best of my ability."

The discussion included specific questions regarding firearms and immigration enforcement. Regarding gun rights, Rupert stated he supports the right to own and carry a firearm but believes there should be regulations governing who can and cannot possess weapons. On the topic of immigration, he noted that there are currently no operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that he is aware of within Deschutes County.

Rupert is scheduled to hold his next town hall meeting in Bend.