Crime in Oregon
Introduction The rate of '''crime in Oregon''', at least since 1985, has varied from below the United States national average to slightly above, depending on if one is looking at violent crime or property crime statistics. The violent crime rate remained below the national average every year between 1985 and 2022, while property crime generally remained above the average during that time. Every year between 2011 and 2020, Oregon maintained one of the 20 lowest violent crime rates in the United States. However, some of the most notorious serial killers in U.S. history were known for killing or operating in Oregon, including perhaps the most famous, Ted Bundy, as well as the second most prolific in terms of confirmed murders, Gary Ridgway, among many others.
Crime statistics (1960–2009) Reported cases of crime in the state of Oregon between 1960 and 2009: Year Population Index Violent  Property  Murder Forcible rape Robbery Aggravated assault Burglary Larcenytheft  Vehicletheft 1960  1,768,687  34,970  1,232  33,738  43  166  563  460  7,175  24,252  2,311 1961  1,799,000  36,000  1,242  34,758  48  138  626  430  7,276  24,983  2,499 1962  1,864,000  38,364  1,461  36,903  54  174  714  519  8,268  25,871  2,764 1963  1,826,000  40,362  1,393  38,969  55  161  554  623  8,823  27,023  3,123 1964  1,871,000  47,438  2,009  45,429  34  225  703  1,047  10,727  30,812  3,890 1965  1,899,000  52,376  2,290  50,086  65  226  873  1,126  12,079  34,161  3,846 1966  1,955,000  58,400  2,470  55,930  53  247  895  1,275  13,394  37,840  4,696 1967  1,999,000  69,268  3,147  66,121  61  248  1,317  1,521  17,140  43,515  5,466 1968  2,008,000  74,978  3,955  71,023  64  346  1,536  2,009  18,978  46,612  5,433 1969  2,032,000  85,543  4,527  81,016  81  371  1,760  2,315  22,853 51,692   6,471 1970  2,091,385  98,048  5,373  92,675  97  377  2,144  2,755  26,632  59,082  6,961 1971  2,158,000  106,601  6,335  100,266  70  478  2,383  3,404  28,933  63,543  7,790 1972  2,182,000  110,156  6,494  103,662  119  574  2,390  3,411  32,049  63,178  8,435 1973  2,225,000  117,860  6,512  111,348  110  653  2,211  3,538  35,772  66,494  9,082 1974  2,266,000  143,772  8,326  135,446  127  732  2,964  4,503  41,766  83,060  10,620 1975  2,288,000  154,491  10,034  144,457  142  745  2,982  6,165  43,738  90,053  10,666 1976  2,329,000  148,097  10,654  137,443  97  829  3,091  6,637  39,587  88,661  9,195 1977  2,376,000  142,256  10,830  131,426  117  948  2,948  6,817  38,880  83,306  9,240 1978  2,444,000  148,483  12,278  136,205  123  1,008  3,204  7,943  39,523  87,033  9,649 1979  2,527,000  161,045  13,781  147,264  107  1,121  3,299  9,254  40,682  96,823  9,759 1980  2,610,477  174,561  12,802  161,759  132  1,084  3,978  7,608  45,641  106,712 9,406 1981  2,647,000  186,267  12,671  173,596  117  1,105  4,780  6,669  52,067  112,518  9,011 1982  2,649,000  173,973  12,529  161,444  136  1,057  4,433  6,903  47,410  106,061  7,973 1983  2,662,000  166,398  12,986  153,412  109  1,078  4,533  7,266  46,472  98,880  8,060 1984  2,674,000  166,956  13,533  153,423  128  1,201  4,508  7,696  48,755   96,742  7,926 1985  2,687,000  180,830  14,807  166,023  125  1,363  4,986  8,333  50,690  105,725  9,608 1986  2,698,000  191,037  14,830  176,207  178  1,379  5,555  7,718  53,062  112,312  10,833 1987  2,724,000  189,835  14,697  175,138  153  1,247  5,338  7,959  48,562  113,907  12,669 1988  2,741,000  193,479  14,959  178,520  139  1,111  5,289  8,420  48,355  113,872  16,293 1989  2,820,000  173,744  14,625  159,119  134  1,314  4,282  8,895  40,197  103,690  15,232 1990  2,842,321  160,478  14,405  146,073  108  1,332  4,102  8,863  32,273  100,765  13,035 1991  2,922,000  168,165  14,795  153,370  133  1,561  4,387  8,714  34,363  105,145  13,862 1992  2,977,000  173,289  15,189  158,100  139  1,580  4,507  8,963  32,945  109,274  15,881 1993  3,032,000  174,812  15,254  159,558  140  1,554  3,930  9,630  31,072  110,878  17,608 1994  3,086,000  194,307  16,067  178,240  150  1,333  4,264  10,320  33,970  122,506  21,764 1995  3,141,000  206,173  16,408  189,765  129  1,309  4,332  10,638  34,640  133,075  22,050 1996  3,204,000  192,132  14,837  177,295  129  1,272  3,914   9,522  31,664  128,618  17,013 1997  3,243,000  203,328  14,412  188,916  95  1,306  3,811  9,200  33,507  136,129  19,280 1998  3,282,000  185,323  13,778  171,545  126  1,307  3,452  8,893  30,442  123,841  17,262 1999  3,316,154  165,866  12,432  153,434  88  1,219  2,858  8,267  26,749  113,052  13,633 2000  3,421,399  165,780  12,000  153,780  70  1,286  2,888  7,756  25,618  114,230  13,932 2001  3,473,441  175,174  10,650  164,524  84  1,174  2,749  6,643  26,648  123,034  14,842 2002  3,520,355  171,443  10,298  161,145  73  1,238  2,742  6,246  25,696  118,925  16,524 2003  3,564,330  180,369  10,506  169,863  68  1,218  2,847  6,373  28,562  122,327  18,974 2004  3,591,363  177,199  10,724  166,475  90  1,283  2,751  6,600  30,072  117,868  18,535 2005  3,638,871  170,643  10,444  160,199  80  1,266  2,478  6,620  27,621  113,316  19,262 2006  3,700,758  145,168  10,373  135,895  86  1,195  2,689  6,403  23,879  97,556  14,460 2007  3,747,455  142,920  10,777  132,143  73  1,255  2,862  6,587  22,821  94,773  14,549 2008  3,790,060  134,144  9,747  124,397  82  1,156  2,641  5,868  20,879  92,187  11,311 2009  3,825,657  123,255  9,744  113,511  85  1,168  2,461  6,030  19,377  84,265  9,869
Capital punishment laws The Oregon Constitution originally had no provision for a death penalty. A statute was enacted in 1864 allowing for the death penalty in cases of first degree murder. Authority to conduct executions was initially granted to local sheriffs, but in 1903, the Oregon Legislative Assembly passed a law requiring all executions to be conducted at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, the first state prison in Oregon which opened in 1866.Oregon voters amended the Constitution in 1914 to repeal the death penalty, with 50.04% of the vote. The repeal was an initiative of Governor Oswald West. The death penalty was restored, again by constitutional amendment, in 1920.Initially, all executions were performed by hanging; lethal gas was adopted as the method after 1931.Voters outlawed the death penalty in the general election of 1964, with 60% of the vote. Governor Mark Hatfield commuted the sentences of three death row inmates two days later.
Notable cases ===Criminals=== Name Lifespan Crime(s) Notes   19492016 Murder Convicted of the murder of Kaye Turner and a settlement was reached for the murder of his stepdaughter Rachanda Pickle. He is believed to have been involved in the disappearance of other girls and women, collectively called the Ghosts of Highway 20.18111859 Murder Convicted of murdering his son-in-law, Mortimer Stump, in 1859; was the first person executed by hanging in Portland. 18931932 Criminal syndicalism Soviet Russian communist sentenced to ten years imprisonment. 19711999 Serial murder Born in Ashland, but did not commit any known murders in Oregon; convicted of murders in Washington, North and South Carolina    19392006 Serial murder, necrophilia Committed multiple murders in Portland and Salem regions  19461989 Serial murder, rape  Born in Vermont; confirmed to have abducted and murdered one female from the Oregon State University campus in 1974.Potentially responsible for additional unknown murders. 19302002 Murder, robbery Charged in 1963 robbery and murder of a police officer in California; subject of an extradition dispute between Oregon and California, but died before being extradited. 1963 Serial murder Convicted of two homicides in Portland in 1993, and suspected in at least 20 others in the Pacific Northwest. Paroled in 2013.1955 Murder, attempted murder Shot and killed daughter in rural Springfield; attempted to kill her two other children. 19011968 Racketeering  Portland mobster and crime boss. 18951979 Murder Convicted of murder in Oregon; escaped, and was later transferred to Alcatraz Island. 1858unknown Forgery Lawyer convicted of forgery in Oregon and California; falsely claimed to be Oregon Attorney General. Later arrested in Harlem, New York City and Washington, D.C.  1955 Serial murder Also known as the "Happy Face Killer"; committed at least two murders in Oregon, and is serving life sentence at Oregon State Penitentiary. 1982 Spree killing Murdered parents before committing 1998 1998 Thurston High School shooting; killed 2 students and injured 25.Charity Lamb1879MurderFirst woman convicted of murder in Oregon Territory. 1932 Serial murder Convicted of murdering and dismembering three women in Portland in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the first person ever to be added as an eleventh name on the FBI Ten Most Wanted List. 19411997 Murder Second person executed in the state of Oregon since 1978 for murders of Thomas Lauri and Barbara Cunningham. 1953 Serial murder Murdered at least 6 women near Molalla between 1983 and 1987.Also known as the "Molalla Forest Killer." 1963 Murder Committed 2002 murders of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis in Oregon City. 1950 Serial murder, rape, robbery Committed multiple crimes along Interstate 5 in Oregon, Washington, and California; estimated to have murdered over 44 people. 19401996 Serial murder First criminal executed by lethal injection in Oregon. Lured three homeless men to Warm Springs Indian Reservation and murdered them in 1993; confessed to the murder of fourth homeless man. Also committed double murder in 1969 in Portland. ===Crimes=== Year(s) Incident / victim(s) Location(s) Notes  1844 Murder of George LeBreton Oregon City Massachusetts-born pioneer and Oregon politician killed in the Cockstock Incident. 1887 Hells Canyon Massacre Hells Canyon  Massacre of thirty-four Chinese goldminers by members of a white horse gang. 18951905 Sheepshooters' War Crook County Range war between cattle men and sheepherders. Resulted in the killing of over 10,000 sheep and several farmers. 1924 Lava Lake murders Deschutes National Forest Triple-murder of three fur trappers near Big Lava Lake; one of the oldest unsolved murder cases in Oregon history. 1946 Oak Grove Jane Doe Oak Grove Unidentified unsolved murder; victim discovered dismembered in the Willamette River over a six-month period. 1949 Murder of Thelma Taylor Portland Teenage murder victim abducted and killed in St. Johns. Her killer, Morris Leland, was executed for her murder in 1953.1974 Cowden family murders Copper Family of four murdered while camping in the Siskiyou Mountains; murders remain unsolved. 1974  Murder of Martha Morrison Portland Teenage murder victim who disappeared in Portland in 1974.Remains discovered in late 1974 in Vancouver, Washington, but were unidentified until 2015.Murder unsolved. 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack The Dalles Followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh deliberately contaminated various eateries with ''Salmonella'', resulting in 751 infections and 45 hospitalizations. 1988 Murder of Mulugeta Seraw Portland Ethiopian immigrant murdered by three white supremacists; Kenneth Murray Mieske, Kyle Brewster, and Steve Strasser were convicted of his murder in 1990.1989Murder of Michael Francke Salem Director of the Oregon Department of Corrections, stabbed to death outside department building. Murder remains unsolved. 1995 Murders of Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill Medford Hate crime murder of lesbian couple. Robert Acremant convicted of their murders and sentenced to death in 1996; sentence later reduced to life without parole. 2004 Murder of Brooke Wilberger Corvallis One of the most publicized murder investigations in Oregon history. Joel Patrick Courtney was convicted of her murder in 2009.2012 Clackamas Town Center shooting Portland Mass shooting at Clackamas Town Center shopping mall; resulted in three deaths (including the perpetrator). 2015 2015 Umpqua Community College shooting Roseburg Deadliest mass-shooting in Oregon history; 10 deaths (including perpetrator) and 8 injuries.
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