Gilliam County

Gary was born in Condon and raised on a ranch on Rock Creek. After graduating high school Gary spent nearly eleven years in Silverton, Oregon working as an auctioneer and managed a seed processing facility.

While in Silverton, Gary was a volunteer firefighter, assigned as Team Leader on the rescue unit, served as Safety Officer and drove the Silverton Fire District Ambulance. In 1992 Gary was awarded Firefighter of The Year for Silverton Fire Department and in 1993 Gary was given an Award of Heroism for all personnel at Redman Homes. 

In 1994 Gary returned to Gilliam County and for seven years owned and operated two businesses. In 1999 Gary became a Reserve Deputy for the Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office and was hired as a full time Deputy in 2001. After moving to Condon in 2003, Gary was promoted to Undersheriff and then became Sheriff in 2005.

Sheriff Bettencourt holds an Advanced Police Certification through the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. 

In 2014 Sheriff Bettencourt served as President of the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association (OSSA) and currently serves on several OSSA committees. IN 2017 Gary was awarded Sheriff of the Year of OSSA. 

Several years ago, Gary started attending the Western States sheriff’s Association Conference in Nevada. In 2021 Sheriff Bettencourt joined the Executive Board at WSSA and currently serves as Secretary, helping to ensure the interests of the 17 western states are represented on a national level. For the year 2019-2020, Gary was recognized as Sheriff of the Year for Western States Sheriff’s Association.