Beefed up patrols by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
have raised some concerns by citizens and local bar-restaurant owners and
managers.

In particular, there were complaints directed at a certain deputy sheriff’s
activity: Stephen Steinberg.

The sheriff’s office conceded that Mountain patrols have increased mainly due
to citizen complaints about the lack of police presence in the area – and that
Steinberg was the man for the job.

“We’ve heard the complaints about (CCSO) patrol vehicles sitting in Sandy,
but never coming to the Mountain,” said Lt. Will Behan, Mountain resident and
the office’s man in charge of Mountain patrols. “I want to make sure we’re
doing what the community wants us to do. And Deputy Steinberg is well-
trained and our top patrol on the Mountain.”

Kathleen Stewart, CCSO administrative analyst, agreed, saying Steinberg was
the office’s top DUI officer. However, Stewart was uncertain as to the reason
for the increased patrols.

“I don’t know why,” she said. “I don’t know of any recent DUI crashes on the
Mountain.”

According to many business proprietors, Steinberg falls short of being top-
notch.

Complaints range from the deputy’s presence in parking lots of bar-
restaurants, or nearby, discouraging customers even before they pull in, to
unwarranted traffic stops and intimidation.

“It seems like if you’re on the road after 9 p.m., you’ve been drinking,” said
Kim Perry, owner of The Shack. “The word is out, and business is down. I
don’t condone over-drinking and driving. No one in this business does. We’re
aware of our responsibility. But this isn’t prohibition.”

Steinberg had a recent parking lot confrontation with Tracie Anderson, owner
of The Skyway.

“I was told there was a sheriff’s patrol car in our parking lot,” Anderson said.
“I went out and he was parked sideways. It was Steinberg, because I got his
card. I asked him if there was a problem and he said ‘I don’t know, is there?
If you’d stop over serving there wouldn’t be a problem.’ There should be a
happy medium between them and us, but this officer is over the line. He’s just
rude.”

The following night Steinberg was back and confronted a female Skyway
bartender.

“He (Steinberg) told her she wasn’t doing her job, and laughed at her,”
Anderson said. “My bartender had to write up a bar report on the incident. My
bartender’s afraid of this man. I feel bad about that.”

“They’re spoiling everything,” Skyway co-owner Tom Baker added. “It’s the
slow season anyway, and now the Grinch is in town. Maybe they should let us
know where this is going – and we’ll just close the doors.”

Perry had a similar conclusion. “If it continues, we’ll just shut our doors, I
guess, and say ‘thanks a lot.’”

Behan responded to The Mountain Times regarding the proprietors’ concerns,
saying patrol cars should not be camped out in parking areas.

“Sitting in parking lots, we can work on that,” Behan said. “But it’s a balancing
act. DUIs are important, but there’s more to it than just that. We are also
concerned with speeding and break-ins. There are going to be growing pains.”
Residents who chose not to be identified – predominantly female and who feel
they’ve been pulled over and followed for no reason – sounded a familiar
theme: there is a Deputy Claggett hangover in this community, and now
there’s Steinberg.

Former Deputy Brandon Claggett resigned from the sheriff’s office in 2008
after an investigation found he took a teenage girl on unauthorized ride-
alongs and emailed sexually explicit photos to her while on duty. In 2009
Claggett was sentenced to seven years in prison for assault and other crimes.

Perry remembers the Claggett era quite well.

“He is still very much in our memory,” she said. “He betrayed our trust, and
now this is going on.”

“We know there’s trust to be re-earned (regarding Claggett),” Behan said.
Ron Gambell, owner of The Brightwood Tavern, said the situation is making it
rough for his and all the other bar-restaurant businesses.

“Everybody’s scared to death,” Gambell said. “I don’t know if it’s the law to
bar watch, but the tactic is over the top. We’ve never had a DUI out of the
tavern. We’re in the business for people to have a good time. I’ve always had
a good rapport with them (sheriff’s office). But one guy is tainting the others.”
Kaye Lessor, manager of The Whistle Stop, says her business is suffering as
well.

“Since they started this in October, it’s gone down, down, down,” she said.
“People are afraid to have ‘A’ drink. I’m a firm believer in not over-drinking
and driving. But the way people have been followed, and pulled over for no
reason, there’s no excuse for that.”

Tom Anderson, owner of The Rendezvous, hasn’t noticed any drop in business
or unusual patrols outside his establishment.

“But I’ve heard about what’s going on,” Anderson said. “But nothing here. It
probably makes a difference because we’re pretty much closed up by 9 p.m.”
All four establishments – The Skyway, Brightwood Tavern, Whistle Stop and
The Shack – have call lists for designated drivers that will respond all the way
to closing time at 2 a.m.

“Patrols will continue,” Behan said. “But I’ll talk to the deputies. We can work
on that. We want to reach out to the public and interact with the community.”
Allen Bixby, manager of The Shack, echoed the sentiment. “Positive
interaction would be great,” he said. “Come in and have a cup of coffee.

Knowing the players, seeing them in daylight, would be better.”

The Skyway’s Baker went one step beyond. “I’d like all the restaurant owners
to have a meeting with sheriff’’s office personnel,” he said. “It might help
before one guy wipes out everything we have.”