Portland stolen car rates continue to decline as police champion data-driven approach

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Car theft rates in Portland continue to drop just two years after the city had the third-highest in the U.S.

It’s all thanks to the unique, data-driven approach of the Portland Police Bureau as well as the grassroots group that works with them to return vehicles to owners.

Back in June, Portland police reported 382 stolen cars, the lowest monthly total on record since July of 2016.

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The most recent example in this massive effort to curb car thefts can be found in a video taken overnight that was shared with KOIN 6 News showing Portland police arresting someone near Southeast 148th Avenue and Southeast Division Street.

The truly innovative element of PPB’s Stolen Vehicle Operation lies in its collaboration with Oregon Health and Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute to target likely stolen vehicles based on their research.

PPB Officer Michael Terret told KOIN 6 News police are using enrichment factors, like a broken back window, to determine how likely a car is to be stolen, with those numbers becoming increasingly more accurate.

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Terrett said since launching the data-driven approach and partnering with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and other local agencies, the team went from recovering one stolen vehicle every 20 stops made to recovering cars for one in every four stops.

“With our approach of going specifically after active stolen vehicles, meaning stolen vehicles with somebody inside them, which is very dangerous and challenging, we feel that there’s absolutely a ripple effect on downstream crimes that can be prevented,” Terret said.

Since launching more than two years ago, PPB has conducted 47 stolen vehicle missions. In that time, police said they’ve recovered 421 stolen cars, arrested more than 500 people and served 536 warrants — including some for homicide. Seventy-five guns were also recovered, several of which were stolen.

The cherry on top is PPB getting help from a volunteer group and their 20,000 members called PDX Stolen Cars, which has a prominent presence on Facebook.

“When we started doing this, there was 1,000 to 1,200 cars stolen a month, and it’s slowly declined. So seeing the decline has been great,” said PDX Stolen Cars Founder Titan Crawford. “And getting under 400, that’s I think, that’s a huge number.”

Crawford said what started as a small Facebook group three years ago turned into thousands of locals looking out for one another and aiding law enforcement.

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“A lot of times, we’re able to notify the owner that we have found their car as police are in transit to their vehicle. And it’s really rewarding to help people,” he said.

When compared to similar cities, Portland reported 2,517 stolen vehicles this year through June. That’s 1,000 less than the number of cars reported stolen in Seattle and nearly 2,000 less than the number recorded in Denver.

Police said in their most recent mission, nearly one in every two stops resulted in a stolen vehicle recovery, making it likely this data-driven approach is working.

Police and PDX Stolen Cars also encourage people to lock their doors and invest in an anti-theft device. In fact, you can get a free club to make yourself less of a target at PPB precincts.

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