On Sunday, September 18, 2022, at 6:50 p.m., officers from the East Precinct responded to a stolen vehicle call where the victim’s child was asleep in the car. This incident occurred in the area of Southeast 49th and Southeast Powell Boulevard when the girl's mother briefly stepped out of her vehicle to assist her husband with the return of a U-Haul.
Police began actively searching for the 7-year-old girl and the stolen vehicle, a 2011 black Honda Civic with no plates. A few hours later, the girl was located safe and sound in the area of Laurelhurst Park and reunited with her family.
"This was such a compelling story about how our members came together and coordinated a large-scale search," said Chief Chuck Lovell. "We got so many questions about our search efforts, how the Amber Alert system works and how it all unfolded. We created this video to highlight the approximately 50 PPB members who worked on this incident and thank them as well as the Bureau of Emergency Communications' dispatchers who help support our efforts every day."