Stolen Car Mission Netting Arrests, Recovering Vehicles
A stolen car mission resulted in 12 arrests and the recovery of six vehicles in East Portland on Friday night. Officers also confiscated 39 grams of meth and an illegal gun, while targeting cars that they thought were stolen.
Lt. Norman Staples says they’ve started a new approach, in November of last year. “We don’t do random stops. There are specific things that we look for at cars or cars’ behavior, which indicate that the car could be stolen,” he explains. They’re using statistical analysis instead, to find stolen vehicles often linked to more serious crimes like homicides and shootings.
Police say this new approach has proven successful, in 15 of these missions, they’ve recovered 106 stolen vehicles, and made 169 arrests.
East Precinct runs east-west from Southeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard to the border with Gresham out past 162nd Avenue and north-south from Southeast Clatsop Street to north of Interstate 84.
“The purpose is to find stolen cars that are out rolling around. These are cars that are being actively used for other crimes,” said Staples.