PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Over the weekend Portland Police Bureau, along with Multnomah County law enforcement, stopped dozens of suspected stolen vehicles and arrested about nearly a dozen people.
Portland police frequently go on these types of missions, and as it turns out, all the effort does have an impact on the overall crime of stolen vehicles.
Salem Police: 3 injured in Fred Meyer parking lot shooting
The point is not just to find stolen cars pickups and vans parked somewhere, but to find the people who are behind the wheel when the cars are on the move. Police also strive to arrest criminals who are operating car theft rings, as well as those who are stealing multiple vehicles a month, and suspects who are wanted for other crimes.
“We typically see illegally possessed firearms. We see subjects with active arrest warrants. We have caught murder suspects. We have caught prolific offenders,” said PPB officer Michael Terrett.
Police also say they focus on a series of signs that a vehicle is likely stolen, trying to target the driver and passengers.