In a bid to make crime reporting more convenient and free up officers for other calls, the Portland Police Bureau announced this week they’ve expanded the types of crimes that can be reported online.

Along with identity theft, telephone scams, shoplifting, and other crimes, you can now use the PPB’s Citizen Online Reporting System to report a bicycle theft. The new system can be used if the value of your bicycle is below $10,000 and there are no known suspects.

Officer Dave Sanders, founder of the PPB Bike Theft Task Force, says it’s a welcome step forward. “Hopefully this will encourage more folks to report their stolen bikes,” he shared with me earlier this week. Ofcr. Sanders added that he references police reports daily in his ongoing battle against Portland’s rampant bike theft problem (they’ve already recovered over 50 bikes so far this year). “We just got a bike back for a guy this morning in spite of an absent serial number,” he shared.

The new system allows bike theft victims to include specific identifying details about their bike. Sanders says using a registration system like Bike Index or Project 529 is still crucial because it makes recovery much more likely.

Bryan Hance of Bike Index said he too is happy to hear the news. “I’m all for anything that makes it easier for people to get their stolen bike info in the police databases,” he said when I asked him about the change. “We still get a lot of people registering in Bike Index who skip the police reporting because they think it’s pointless or that it takes too much time, and this always causes problems where we’re trying to get action on a suspect bike. So better online reporting is always a plus.”


When I clicked through PPB reporting site I was confused when I got to the prompt: “Are you reporting a stolen vehicle?” I obviously clicked “Yes” and was led to a window that said, “This incident can not be reported online.” It soon dawned on me that the PPB doesn’t consider bicycles vehicles and automobile theft is handled differently than bicycle theft.

On the Crime Type page I scrolled down to the 11th box labeled “Theft” and then I was able to start my report. I found bicycle theft near the bottom of the page in the “Theft other” category and was taken through the report process (which I aborted because filing a false report is a crime).

This is a nice new service and makes it easier to get a police report for a bike theft. If you’ve had your bike stolen, please create a report. This data is important so we have an accurate picture of the problem and it gives officers another tool to find your bike and bring the thief to justice. If for some reason you can’t access the web, you can still call the non-emergency line at (503) 823-3333 and an officer will respond in person. Keep in mind that it can take up to 20 business days to get a copy of your report if it’s taken by an officer in person; but with online reporting you will be emailed a copy in about two business days.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Bike Theft, Front Page

dave sanders, Portland Bike Theft Task Force