Parking under a streetlight hasn't helped. Driveways haven't protected residents, either, from the tire-slashing vandal who's hit more than 500 cars in inner Northeast and Southeast Portland in the past six months.



The odds have been worse in affluent neighborhoods such as Irvington and Laurelhurst, but the vandal has cut his way through Cully, Rose City Park and Piedmont, too. Nearly half of the damaged cars were SUV's, though Subarus, Priuses and small sedans also have turned up flat.



The slasher sometimes skips one or two cars in a neighborhood. Sometimes the vandal comes back a second, third, fourth -- and in a few cases, fifth -- time to damage the same car. It's happened every night of the week, though Mondays and Thursdays have been the worst. Portland Police detectives aren't sure if the vandal is a man or a woman, if it's a group or a lone wielder.



"It's compulsive," Sgt. Greg Lovell said Tuesday. "Someone is pretty vigilant."



Neighbors began reporting an increase in tire slashings in May. The suspect uses some kind of needle weapon, the kind of thin blade that lets air slowly slip out. In the summer, the vandalism ramped up to keying cars and slicing convertible roofs. Police have recorded 558 tire punctures and 92 car keyings or convertible slashings. Detectives believe that several hundred others have not reported damage.



"I've never seen anything like this," Portland Police Sgt. Greg Stewart said at Tuesday night's meeting.



The instances have slowed since October, but, detectives told a group of Northeast Portland residents Tuesday night, the bureau is funneling tons of resources into the problem. Officers have amped up patrols. An analyst is spending most of his time studying the slashings. And detectives and city staff are meeting with neighborhood groups to offer advice. They'll meet again Wednesday night at the Alameda School.



One neighborhood installed their own cameras. Others are considering setting up a decoy Subaru. Celeste Carey, a city crime prevention coordinator, said the best recourse is for residents to meet each other.



"One of the ways you can know the difference between someone suspicious and your eccentric neighbor is to know your neighbor," Carey said. "This is an excellent time to connect."



The Oregonian will be working on this story Wednesday. Has your car been vandalized? Get in touch with reporter Casey Parks to tell your story.

-- Casey Parks