Sheriff's office: property crimes down, person and high‑priority calls up; deputies' traffic enforcement credited with arrests

Chief Mendoza of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office gave the committee a multi‑year summary of crime and patrol activity in Estacada, showing a substantial decline in reported property crimes and smaller increases in person and society crimes.

Mendoza said reported property crimes fell from 151 in 2022 to 84 in 2023 and to 79 in 2024. He described a slight upward trend in person crimes (assault, harassment, menacing) and a mixed picture for society crimes. Mendoza cautioned that Estacada’s small population means small numeric changes can appear large on charts; he cited examples such as counts moving from six to 12 and 15 to 23 in some person‑crime categories.

Patrol activity rose after an increase in deputy assignments to Estacada. Mendoza said deputy‑initiated traffic enforcement and self‑initiated activity increased, and that high‑priority calls rose sharply from 2022 to 2023 and remained higher in 2024. He displayed crash‑location and citation maps and noted that deputies do not issue citations on every traffic stop.

On specific incidents, Mendoza described a theft reported at Brusseau’s Coachworks in November 2024 that local deputies investigated as a theft (not a building burglary). He said multiple deputies were involved, dash‑cam and body‑cam footage helped tie a suspect to the scene, the suspect was identified and arrested, and the case is now with the district attorney’s office for prosecution.

The chief also reported a theft of a gas‑powered, man‑operated earth tamper from a cemetery storage site in January 2025. Staff estimated the equipment’s value at about $4,500 and said the loss appears to have occurred between January 15 and January 22. Committee members asked staff to circulate photos of the item to deputies and other jurisdictions.

Committee members raised business theft concerns, citing recent gas thefts from trucks at a U‑Haul location. Mendoza recommended ‘‘hardening’’ at affected sites — fencing, lighting, cameras — and continued deputy presence. He also discussed vendors selling produce (orange sellers) and said deputies have been directed to check licensing and, when appropriate, issue citations or warnings; he noted communication and language barriers can complicate enforcement.

When members expressed concern about very young children seen at vendor sites, Mendoza said officers evaluate whether to involve child welfare services and that, in the incidents he reviewed, apparent minors were in some cases older than they seemed. He asked the committee to forward sidewalk and curb‑cut problem locations to staff so the city can create a sidewalk inventory and coordinate repairs.

The committee took no enforcement actions at the meeting; the presentation was informational and elicited follow‑up requests for photos and location lists.