Crime in Oregon

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:www.disastercenter.com 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. Kreuger, Peggy; Kendra Justice & Amy Hunt (March 2006). "Keith Hunter Jesperson: Happy Face Killer" (PDF). Radford University Department of Psychology. Retrieved August 21, 2010.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 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. 1985 Serial murder Accused of killing six women in the Portland area between 2022 and 2023, he faces five counts of second-degree murder and four counts of abuse of a corpse. In 2026, he was indicted on a charge of first-degree manslaughter in the death of Elizabeth "Libby" Gibson, whose body was never found.

Crimes