PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Titan Crawford, the founder of PDX Stolen Cars, said he can tell the number of stolen cars in the area is decreasing.
“It used to be you’d go out, you’d expect to find, like, ‘How many am I going to find today?’” he told KOIN 6 News on Sunday. “Now, when you do these missions, it’s like, OK, I really have to pay attention and be focused. I want to make sure I at least find one.”
Driver flees police, hits pedestrians, crashes stolen car in NW Portland
On Sunday, the Portland police and other agencies held another stolen car mission that, over time using different techniques and methods, has helped to slash the number of stolen cars in the region.
While the number of thefts is going down, the methods car thieves use are changing with the technology. Crawford said criminals now use what’s called an amplifying device that copies data from car fobs.
If a fob is within a few hundred feet from the thieves, the amplifier can grab the signal — even if your key is in the gym, the grocery store or at home…