East Precinct officers created a stolen vehicle operation in November 2021 to try to tackle the growing theft problem. Their initial strategy was to flood an area with police officers, along with aerial support from a police airplane, to make traffic stops, arrests and recover stolen vehicles. Portland police officers are now drawing on OHSU’s data science expertise to help track down stolen vehicles and make arrests.
That’s right, doctors will be working with cops in operations to solve crimes in Portland. Each operation covers one work shift and focuses on a specific area of East Portland. Why the East Precinct? The East Precinct gets the most 911 calls of any precinct and has the highest priority call load. This coordinated effort involving nearly 30 officers relies on training, planning and experience — along with the new tactic of using data science to help track down stolen cars, in the same way sports teams use analytics or companies optimize performance.
Portland has seen a rising number of stolen vehicles over the past several years. 2022 set a new record with 10,894 reports of stolen vehicles in the city, according to police data. On average, that means a vehicle is stolen in Portland every 48 minutes. Not only does a stolen car create a hardship for the owner, but it also impacts the community.
The idea is to make better use of the raw data collected by officers. Portland Police Bureau turned to researchers at Oregon Health and Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute to make it all work. Stolen vehicles are used to commit more crimes. Criminals use stolen cars to assist in murders, shootings and armed robberies. Additionally, suspects driving stolen vehicles often try to elude police, because they know PPB policy prohibits officers from chasing stolen vehicles.
The new idea maybe having some success. During the initial five stolen vehicle operations, from November 2021 to March 2022, officers at East Precinct recovered 14 stolen vehicles. Police also made several arrests, but most were not related to stolen vehicles.They’re making fewer overall stops during stolen vehicle operations, but getting better results.
Prior to this new strategy, police officers at East Precinct recovered one stolen vehicle for every 31 stops. Now, they’re recovering one stolen vehicle for every five stops. In the past 15 operations, officers at East Precinct have recovered 106 stolen cars, made 169 arrests and recovered 24 guns.
