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Umatilla County sheriff faces three-year loss of police certification, but appeal delays action
Oregon’s public safety standards board unanimously voted to revoke Sheriff Terry Rowan’s law enforcement certification for three years over misconduct tied to his 2025 DUI arrest. Rowan’s planned appeal means he will remain certified while the case is reviewed, a process that could take at least a year.
Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan is set to lose his law enforcement certification for three years after a unanimous vote Thursday by Oregon’s Board of Public Safety Standards and Training. The revocation will not take effect immediately because Rowan intends to appeal, and he will retain his certification while that process is pending.
The board adopted a recommendation from its police policy committee without discussion. The committee found Rowan violated moral fitness standards through dishonesty and misconduct arising from his May 2025 arrest for driving under the influence and reckless driving in a county vehicle.
An appeal before a state administrative law judge could take at least a year, said Sam Tenney, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday it had not yet been informed of the board’s vote.
Rowan, 62, did not respond to requests for comment. He previously apologized to the committee and said he was deeply ashamed of his actions. He asked members to consider his 37 years in law enforcement, inpatient alcohol treatment, counseling and participation in weekly recovery meetings.
The arrest occurred May 16, 2025, after Gilliam County Sheriff’s Sgt. Anthony Redden-Pickett stopped Rowan’s unmarked pickup on Interstate 84. The truck had been clocked at 91 mph, according to the account of the stop. Body-camera footage later showed Rowan repeatedly telling officers he had not been drinking and was sober. More than an hour after the stop, a breath test recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.19%, more than twice Oregon’s legal limit of 0.08%.
Rowan pleaded no contest to driving under the influence and reckless driving and received diversion. He completed the program’s requirements, including an alcohol-abuse treatment program, a victim impact panel and use of an ignition interlock device. The charges were dismissed after he completed diversion.
The committee cited the speed and risk of Rowan’s driving in a county vehicle, the danger to the public and his inaccurate statements to investigators as aggravating factors. It also considered his completion of diversion and recovery efforts as mitigating factors. Rowan told the committee he had not intended to deceive officers, while acknowledging that his statements at the scene were inconsistent with his actual condition.
The certification decision could have consequences for the elected office. Oregon law requires a person elected sheriff to obtain police certification within a year of taking office, and says the county’s governing body must declare the office vacant if the sheriff is not certified within that period. Rowan’s term runs through 2028, and at least two candidates have announced campaigns for the seat.
Rowan resigned from the state public safety board and its police policy committee after his arrest. In September, the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association voted unanimously to remove him from the organization, where he had previously served as president.