We go now to the City in Peril, Portland Oregon, where an article story for local affiliate, KGW8 informs readers that not all shoplifters in the metro area are booked into jail.

I know. Say it isn’t so. According to this, Multnomah County (of which Portlan is a part), prosecutes less than half of its misdemeanor theft cases referred by law enforcement, while Washington and Clackamas counties prosecute these cases at a considerably higher rate.

Washington and Clackamas county jails both allow police to book someone charged with a low-level theft offense like shoplifting. But in Multnomah County, and across the river in Clark County, those two jails do not book shoplifters except under special circumstances.”-Pat Dooris, Jamie Parfitt, KGW8

Why are they not booking these criminals? Well, because, the jail can’t be too crowded, you see. Some jails in the Portland Metro still have COVID restrictions. Can’t have over-crowding for the health concerns of those who work there and, of course, the criminals who are in these jails and booked on more serious offenses, like murder. What are the “special circumstances”? When Portland police are running some sort of special mission to “target” that type of crime, they say. How many of these cases are charged by the District Attorney?