On Sunday, July 28, 2025, East Precinct hosted the 61st Portland Metro Stolen Vehicle Operation. Participating agencies included the Portland Police Bureau, Gresham Police Department, Port of Portland, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, Multnomah County District Attorney’s Auto Theft Task Force, Vancouver Police Department, and the community-based group PDX Stolen Cars.
The operation focused on East Portland and the Gresham border and resulted in:
7 - Stolen Vehicles
3 - Guns
9- Custodies
6 - Warrants Serviced
7 - Vehicle Eludes
2 - Pursuits
This SVO resulted in a high number of stolen vehicles and firearms being recovered and removed from our community, with a low number of stops—achieving a 1:4 ratio of stops to stolen vehicles contacted.
In one instance, an Oregon State Police Trooper spotted a stolen vehicle near Northeast 99th Avenue and Glisan. The Trooper notified the SVO team, who located the vehicle at Northeast 99th Avenue and Pacific Street. Due to the reckless behavior of the driver, the decision was made not to engage in a pursuit. Instead, the Air Support Unit followed the vehicle and provided updates.
The suspect drove recklessly through East Portland with no regard for public safety—damaging private and city property, and eventually crashing near Southeast 146th and Division Street. The driver fled on foot but was chased down by an occupant of a vehicle he had collided with. He was taken into custody shortly afterward.
Officers confirmed the vehicle was stolen and discovered a loaded semi-automatic shotgun-style rifle with ammunition inside. The rifle’s serial number had been intentionally obliterated. The driver was identified as 35-year-old Felipe Cazares of Hillsboro. As a convicted felon, Cazares is facing multiple charges including Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Attempt to Elude, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangering, and felony-level property damage. The case is also being evaluated at the federal level by the ATF.
This is just one of many examples highlighting how dangerous active stolen vehicles can be in our community—and the value of collaborative efforts by metro-area law enforcement agencies in apprehending and capturing these individuals.
The SVO is a unique and highly innovative program that leverages data science methodology to identify active stolen vehicles. The program collaborates with cancer scientists and biostatisticians at OHSU’s Knight Cancer Institute here in Portland, as well as the community-based group PDX Stolen Cars. This multidisciplinary approach enables law enforcement to use data-driven insights to inform decision-making around stolen vehicle activity. The program is nationally recognized and has been featured in law enforcement literature. As a result of these efforts, Portland continues to see one of the largest decreases in stolen vehicles across the country.
Read more on East Precinct’s innovative use of data, to make fewer stops, resulting in better outcomes.
Source: Portland Police