Adrian Richardson was struck in the face with a brick.
(Photo by Henry Scholz)

The Portland Police Bureau arrested two teenagers for allegedly throwing bricks at three people who were bicycling in inner northeast Portland last night.

One of the victims, 26-year-old Adrian Richardson, was hit in the face and was taken to the hospital. Richardson is a serious local bike racer who works at Showers Pass.

Here’s the official statement from the PPB:

On Sunday April 20, 2014, at 1:21 a.m., North Precinct officers responded to the area of Northeast 7th Avenue and Tillamook Street on the report that two males threw a brick at a bicyclist, striking him in the face.

The victim provided descriptions of the suspects for police and waited for medical personnel to respond to the scene.

Several officers arrived in the area and contacted the victim. Officers also located the suspects at Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Knott Street and took them into custody. Two additional victims were located by police.

[Read more…]

Do I hear $15?

Are you looking for a good deal on a used bike? Did you you get your bike stolen but gave up on finding it or had no way to prove it was yours? You might want to check the listings at GovDeals.com. That’s the online marketplace that has just inked a deal with the Portland Police Bureau to sell unclaimed property.

There are currently 59 items listed for sale and 11 of them are bicycles. Auctions last about a month and bids start at just $10.00.

Among such items as jewelry, art, computers, and tools, there are some pretty high-end bikes available. These bikes were recovered by the PPB but if their rightful owners could not be tracked down, they are now offered up to highest bidder.

Here are a few more of the bikes currently listed…[Read more…]

Ted Buehler and his tools of
the citizen activist trade.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

An unsafe street that isn’t being improved can be one of the most frustrating experiences in city life. One of Portland’s most thoughtful safety activists has some smart ideas on what to do next.

This exchange in our comments section came from a story this summer about a hit-and-run that injured a nine-year-old girl at North Bryant and Borthwick, on a neighborhood greenway that’s supposed to be free of fast-moving auto traffic but which was, according to a reader who once lived there, built to invite fast speeds. Several readers expressed frustration with the difficulty of getting police to do speed enforcement in a spot like this; one, Kevin Wagoner, said he’s tried calling the city’s official 503-823-SAFE line in a similar situation to no avail.

Here’s Ted Buehler’s response, lightly edited:

[Read more…]

Portland Police Chief Reese snapped this self-portrait
at the Hagg Lake Triathlon back in July.

Portland Police Chief Mike Reese will be hitting the streets this weekend; but he won’t be in a patrol car. He’ll be in spandex.

Chief Reese will be one of over 1,000 competitors at the seventh annual Portland Triathlon, which takes place on Sunday in St. Johns. In a telephone interview this morning, Chief Reese told us he’s been competing in Triathlons since 1990 and this will be the fourth triathlon he’s participated in this year.

Of the three disciplines in the triathlon, Chief Reese says the bicycling leg is his strongest. But the humble head of Portland’s Police Bureau ads that, “I’m really just average. My strength is that I’m average at everything.” Reese told us he competes in the “old and slow group.”[Read more…]

A stop sign at Ladd Circle.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Portland Police Bureau is all set to do a targeted enforcement mission at Ladd Circle today. The action comes after they received complaints from area residents about people rolling through the stop signs.

As regular readers of this site know, this issue has plagued road users in this southeast Portland neighborhood for many years. We first reported about police activities at these stop signs in April 2007. Since then, the lack of compliance and resulting frustration from neighbors who say they’re afraid to walk around the circle and from people who feel the enforcement is unfair and a poor use of police resources, has continued.

On Monday, we received a phone call from PPB Traffic Division Lieutenant Chris Davis. He said he plans to send several officers out for the mission. “We’ve been getting complaints again of people running stop signs out at Ladd Circle,” said Lt. Davis. “We’re having the same issues with bikes and cars running the stop signs.” Lt. Davis said now that school is back in session, the bureau’s biggest concern is the safety of people walking in the area.

We’ve heard from various police sources that the mission might occur this morning and this afternoon. [Read more…]

A car turns right onto SE Taylor from
SE 7th where a tow truck operator right-hooked a
bicycle rider last month.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Portland Police have cited the tow truck operator who drove his vehicle into a 16-year-old who was bicycling on SE 7th last month. 64-year-old Richard Tombleson was cited for Careless Driving Causing Serious Injury to a Vulnerable Road User. Tombleson was on duty and driving for Speed’s Towing when the collision occurred.

According to the PPB, Tombleson was driving southbound on SE 7th when he turned right onto Taylor. The teenager on a bicycle was also heading south on 7th and he was right-hooked by Tombleson. Tombleson didn’t stop after the collision but he and his truck were found by the PPB shortly after the collision. The 16-year-old sustained “traumatic but not life-threatening injuries” and was taken to the hospital and listed in serious condition.[Read more…]

School is back in session tomorrow!
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Tomorrow is the first day of school for thousands of Portland students and the Police Bureau plans to beef up enforcement to make sure they get to school safely. And, taking safety one step further, they’re also urging parents to leave the car at home and walk and bike to school instead.

According to a statement from the PPB, they will perform “high visibility patrols” around all Portland schools as part of what they’re calling a “Back to School safety campaign.” The plan includes dozens of officers and the use of photo radar units to help enforce traffic laws in school zones. The effort is being done in partnership with the Bureau of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School program. [Read more…]

This just in from the PPB:

PORTLAND POLICE DONATING BICYCLES FOR WEST AFRICAN VILLAGES

On Thursday August 22, 2013, at 10:30 a.m., the Portland Police Bureau will be donating approximately 100 bicycles to Alaffia’s Bicycles for Education Project.

This event will be held at and in partnership with Whole Foods Market Hollywood, located at 4301 Northeast Sandy Boulevard. Members of the media are invited to attend.

Members of the community may also donate adult sized bicycles in any condition at this location from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. All donations are tax deductible.

Speakers will include Portland Police Bureau Assistant Chief Donna Henderson and Alaffia Founder Olowo-n’djo Tchala (pronounced “Olo-Wanjoe Chala”)

The donated bicycles are from the Portland Police Property and Evidence Division and are unclaimed or disposed of property no longer needed.
[Read more…]

Navigate poorly and you could wind
up with a $260 ticket.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

On Tuesday, the Portland Bureau of Transportation proudly boasted about their traffic law enforcement crackdown around the light rail construction zone in inner southeast Portland. They issued 316 citations, 104 warnings, and arrested four people in just over two weeks of patrols. In press statements, PBOT says this stepped-up enforcement effort is being done in the name of safety and that their efforts are — understandably so — directed at speeding and, “motorists who are distracted, impaired, or aggressive.”

But what they haven’t said is that people on bikes are being ticketed simply for failing to properly navigate the confusing, stress-inducing, and inadequate detour signage.[Read more…]

Still from new PPB video.
Watch it below.

The Portland Police Bureau has a long history of working with the community to catch bike thieves and educate folks about how to prevent bikes from being stolen in the first place. Today, with summer cycling season in full swing, they’ve released a video and a statement about bike theft prevention and recovery. The main focus of their message: Know your serial number.

“The Division has hundreds of unclaimed bikes, due to owners not knowing their serial numbers,” reads their statement, “Only 34% of bike theft victims knew their bike’s serial number last year – making it harder for police to identify the bike recovered.”
[Read more…]