Attempted break-in puts resident on alert -- to lack of Portland police investigations
PORTLAND, Ore. — Nearly two weeks ago, Laurie Lewis was fast asleep in her home when her doorbell rang.
"I was like, that’s weird. I went downstairs, checked on my dog and looked out. I didn’t open my door but stood there a while looking. No one was here, so I went back up to bed," Lewis said.
Three hours later, around 3 a.m. she was back up, but this time she was terrified.
"I heard someone trying to get into my front door and in my front windows. I heard the jiggle, the sound, and I jumped up," said Lewis. "I went to the top of my stairs, grabbed my glasses and went to the front of my stairs. I was listening, like what is happening?"
Lewis said she then heard her gate open and close. Thinking the worst was behind her, she went back to bed for the second time, until she heard a noise outside her second-story bathroom window.
"I heard this crunch crunch crunch on the other side of the house in the gravel, and I’m like, 'No! No way,' so I went to my bathroom and stood in the tub and looked down the window and there was a man standing there," said Lewis. "I’m watching, thinking, what is this guy doing? And then it was so fast. He got out some equipment like a rope and threw it up. I’m thinking, what is happening? It made no noise, it didn’t make a clunk and then he started climbing."
It took Lewis a few minutes to realize what was happening. The stranger was trying to break into one of her windows. Thankfully, there was a bracket on the window, keeping the man out. But that still didn't deter him. Lewis started screaming, telling the man to "go away." He did do that, but not before yelling back, asking if she was named Rachel. Then saying he was in the wrong place.
With police at Lewis' house, she gave all the details she could to officers, including the man's detailed description. Since then, she hasn't seen the man, but she also hasn't seen any movement on her case, despite reaching out to the Portland Police Bureau nearly every day since the incident. The one time she heard back from an officer, they told her that nothing more could be done.
"An officer called me and basically said there’s nothing they can do, and I’m like, what do you mean? You haven’t even tried?" said Lewis.
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After speaking with Lewis, KATU spoke with PPB to see if that really was the case. Sgt. Kevin Allen says there used to be an entire task force dedicated to investigating burglaries. Now, there are only a few detectives left.
"We have to focus on these serious crimes, both in patrol and in investigations. We’ve got most of our detectives now are focused on homicides and gun violence, because that right now is arguably the biggest issue we have," said Allen. "There’s a lot of cases that we wish we could get to that are sitting on an investigator's desk. There’s follow-up leads that can be done, but we don’t have the resources to get to it."
So what does that mean for people who aren't hurt but still victims of crimes?
"I think it’s important to note that we’re not giving up, we’re not throwing up our hands and saying we’re not going to respond to crime. We are still doing that. It definitely takes us longer than it used to, but we hope our community sees that officers that are here, they are doing the best they can with the resources they have available," said Allen. "Your question is what can people do? A lot of it is to be understanding and patient with us. When you want to have an officer show up to address an issue, be understanding. It’s going to take longer than it used to. There may not be the level of follow up, but despite all the challenges, I can think of a lot of situations where there has been great police work done."
Allen says if you have more information after a crime occurs, you should get in touch with the responding officer. Lewis says she has been trying to do that, but had no luck. Allen's suggestion is to call the precinct and speak with the officer's supervisor, but that could still take time.
But time is a concern for Lewis. Her fear is that the longer this man is on the street, the more crimes he could commit. Even if he doesn't come back to Lewis' home, he could go to another. It's why she took to Nextdoor to warn her neighbors. Within 24 hours, she says they figured out who the stranger is but without movement from police, they're stuck.
"It’s absurd, I know the guy's name. I’ve seen his Facebook. I’ve seen his whole rap sheet. I know everything about him. I’m sure some people would think, who are you to declare that this guy is the criminal? That’s my point exactly, I shouldn't have been. There should be people whose job it is to connect the dots and cross the t's," said Lewis.
PPB says people can also help themselves by taking precautions and by being proactive at home with more safety measures. What would solve the issue? More resources, but Allen doesn't think we will see that happen anytime soon.
"I can’t see a way that we’re not years away from a significant improvement in our ability to provide quality service to our community," he said.