PORTLAND, Ore. — Local law enforcement agencies say a targeted effort to combat organized retail theft and auto theft in Multnomah County is working.
On Monday, county and law enforcement leaders met at the Multnomah County Courthouse to highlight accomplishments which they attributed to their Auto Theft and Organized Retail Theft Task Forces.
"Today we can say that those investments have paid off," said Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt.
The DA's office launched the task forces in May 2023 with the goal of targeting the most prolific offenders in retail and auto theft.
"These are not one-offs," Schmidt said. "These are people who know what they're doing, and they're organized and they're stealing repeatedly."
Schmidt noted several recent cases indicted by the task forces. One involved a suspect identified as Easias Madrigal-Flores. He was indicted on 24 counts for stealing from Marshalls with damages totaling more than $20,000. Another case involved a suspect identified as Michael Glenn Morgan. He was indicted on six counts for stealing from Dick's Sporting Goods with damages totaling more than $10,000.
In January, Portland police arrested 53-year-old Joseph Allen Beard. Investigators believe Beard trafficked stolen vehicles through an illegal towing company, then sold them for scrap. Investigators tied 80 cars to the operation, at least five of them stolen.
"The whole purpose of this task force and my focus has been to go after the bigger offenders," said Deputy District Attorney Cody Linderholm in January. "And we have gotten them, we've gotten prison time."
The Multnomah County District Attorney's office noted several accomplishments they attributed to their task forces:
Auto theft:
- Case issuance rates for auto theft are at 83% – an all-time high.
- The Task Force has indicted 15 high-profile cases, encompassing 139 charges.
- Reported auto theft in Portland decreased 26% in 2023 compared to 2022.
- 92% of vehicles stolen in Portland in 2023 have been recovered.
Retail theft
- Case issuance rates for theft are at 77% - a seven-year high.
- The Task Force has trained over 375 retail employees.
- The Task Force has indicted 10 high-profile cases, representing $164,143 in retail theft and $125,038 in organized retail theft.
- 2023 retail theft missions led by PPB have resulted in more than: 300 arrests, 144 felony charges, and 238 misdemeanor charges.
"We're not popping any champagne at this point," said Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day. "We're just going to keep going forward."
What about the crooks who are hitting small businesses? Owners often note that retail theft impacts more than just "big box” stores and is arguably more devastating to the smaller ones. Schmidt said he believes large-volume offenders may also be hitting smaller businesses.
"We know that these are some of the same [suspects] who are also hitting some of the other business in our community," Schmidt said. "So by going after some of the big offenders, we think it helps everybody, as well as putting together cases on fencing operations we think that helps everybody."
Schmidt also said one of their biggest challenges remains a shortage in public defenders. He admitted that factor continues to result in several cases getting dismissed. He said the DA's office works through that challenge but that it often means double the work for prosecutors and victims when they have to re-file those cases.
"This problem has to be solved," Schmidt said. "It's a public safety problem in our community that is leading to more victimization on our streets."