HERMISTON — Oregon had the fourth highest rate of car theft among states and the District of Columbia in 2022, according to a ranking by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent and fight insurance crime.
According to the bureau’s October report, Oregon’s car theft rate in 2022 was 541 thefts per 100,000 residents — an increase from the previous year’s rate of 475 per 100,000 residents. Data from the FBI show a similar rate for Oregon, with 551 thefts per 100,000 residents in 2022.
Colorado was ranked first, with a theft rate of 731 per 100,000 people. Washington, D.C., came in second at 700 thefts per 100,000 people, and Washington state was just ahead of Oregon with 600 thefts per 100,000 people.
The report did not include data specific to Eastern Oregon, although it did mention a 2022 theft rate of 796 per 100,000 people in the metro area that incluydes Portland, Hillsboro and Vancouver, Washington. That is an increase from a rate of 680 per 100,000 people in 2021.
In a national ranking of metro areas, the report lists Portland as fifth for highest car theft. The Portland Police Bureau’s 2022 annual report shows each of the bureau’s three precincts reported between 2,900 and 4,800 car thefts that year.
With thieves often looking for an easy target, Boardman Police Capt. Loren Dieter and Umatilla Sheriff’s Office Capt. Paul Wolverton recommend keeping vehicles locked and valuables out of sight. This is particularly relevant during the colder months when residents will warm up vehicles, leaving them running and unattended.
“Even locking (the vehicle), somebody can break your window, jump in and take off pretty quickly if your keys are in it,” Dieter said.
Wolverton said it’s less common for cars to be hot-wired like in movies, and more common for thieves to steal cars with keys inside them, locked or not.
Wolverton said one way to protect idling vehicles is to keep them in the garage, with the garage door partially open to prevent a buildup of carbon monoxide.
He also recommended going out during normal business hours as much as possible, and if going somewhere at night, to park in a visible, lighted area. Parking near surveillance cameras is also a criminal deterrent, Wolverton said, as many criminals know which businesses have cameras and what areas the cameras capture.
