November 16, 2022
Elisabeth Shepard, Communications Director
DA Mike Schmidt releases new property crime data
PORTLAND, Oregon – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt released new property crime data for public inspection.
DA Schmidt published an earlier iteration of this data featuring numbers from 2019 through 2021 in March of this year in an opinion piece submitted to the Oregonian articulating system-wide challenges in the criminal justice system and the impact on public safety. Today, DA Schmidt released numbers from 2019 through the third quarter of 2022. The full data set can be viewed here: Portland Property Crime 2019-2022 Q3
The data set includes the volume of crimes reported measured against those referred for prosecution, referred to as a clearance rate, both in numbers and as a rate. For example, 954 car theft cases were referred by police for prosecution in the first three quarters of 2022 in Multnomah County. Of those, 687 were issued for prosecution or 72%. In 2019, the average prosecution rate was 62% for stolen vehicles, indicating a higher rate of motor vehicle theft prosecutions today than pre-pandemic.
“When these cases are referred to us, I have directed my attorneys to prosecute aggressively. Victims of property crime range from individuals experiencing houselessness, to renters, and home and business owners. The impacts are far-reaching and cannot be tolerated. We must continue to fight for accountability with our limited resources,” DA Mike Schmidt Stated.
Prosecution rates have been largely consistent since 2019, with a downtick in some areas at the start of the pandemic followed by a quick recovery to pre-pandemic rates by the end of 2020.
“Property crime is often underreported, time-consuming to investigate, and hugely destructive of public confidence and safety. We must continue to improve our BOEC and police staffing to improve response times and investigate thoroughly these crimes,” Portland Police Association President Aaron Schmautz stated.
“The Portland Police Association welcomes partnership with our justice system partners to ensure these cases don’t fall through the cracks. Thorough investigations paired with aggressive prosecution and accountability is critical in restoring public trust in our justice system and keeping our city safe,” President Schmautz continued.
The data set includes clearance and prosecution rates for burglaries, robberies, motor vehicle thefts, theft, and criminal mischief.
Below is a snapshot of prosecution rates the most recent quarter of 2022:
Burglary prosecution rate: 84%
Robbery prosecution rate: 72%
Motor vehicle theft prosecution rate: 77%
Theft in the first-degree prosecution rate: 65%
Criminal mischief* prosecution rate: 73%
*Criminal charge associated with graffiti.
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