Portland Police have arrested a man they’ve connected to several bicycle thefts in downtown Portland. 56-year-old Robert Charles Dady was booked into jail by Central Precinct on Tuesday after an extensive investigation by officers with the PPB’s Neighborhood Response Team.
Here’s more from the police statement:
This investigation began on September 4, 2013, when a victim of a bike theft called the Portland Police after having seen a suspect riding his stolen bicycle, which had been taken from the 24 Hour Fitness located in the Pearl District.
Over the past few weeks, NRT officers worked with employees at the 24 Hour Fitness Pearl District location, Powell’s Books on West Burnside Street, and the World Trade Center in Downtown Portland. Each location had seen an unusual rise in bike thefts.
By reviewing surveillance footage, officers were able to identify Dady as the suspect. Officers reviewed additional reports where Dady was found to be in possession of bicycles. These reports were provided by patrol officers and security officers from the Downtown Clean and Safe District. Officers were able to identify some of these bicycles as being listed as stolen on the Stolen Bicycle Registry.
The PPB says Dady’s preferred method was to cut cable locks with wire cutters. To prevent your bike from getting stolen, police say U-locks are a must. They also encourage folks to post stolen bikes to our Stolen Bike Listings. You can learn more about how to prevent bike theft, and increase your changes of recovery, via this helpful video released by the PPB back in July.
Here at BikePortland, we’ve been impressed for many years at how much of a priority the PPB puts on bike theft prevention and recovery. Meanwhile a recent article in an English-language newspaper in Copenhagen pointed out that, unlike Portland cops, police in that bike utopia don’t seem to make bike theft a priority at all.
We are lucky to have a police force that cares about this issue. Thanks PPB!