Police Policy Committee recommends Rowan serve three years of ineligibility
By Terry Murry on Thursday, August 20th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
SALEM – The Police Policy Committee (PPC) of the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and training (DPSST) met this morning (Thursday) to discuss the results of its investigation against Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan’s arrest in May 2025. He was being investigated for dishonesty, misuse of authority, and misconduct after he was pulled over in Gilliam County and charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving.
Rowan told the committee he was deeply ashamed of the incident and accepted full responsibility for it.
The committee voted unanimously to remove the misuse of authority charge and act only on dishonesty and misconduct. They had a choice of declaring him ineligible to serve for three to 10 years or for three years to life. The committee chose to recommend three years of ineligibility due to letters of support and the depth of diversion treatment he has undertaken.
The next step is that the case will be reviewed by the DPSST Board of Directors at its next regular meeting in October.
