Portland police are investigating reports that women in the West End are being stalked by a man in a car.
The reports are similar to a handful of incidents in the same part of the city over the winter. In three of those cases, the women were hit on the head by a man who approached from behind and then ran off. Police have not made an arrest.
In the latest incident early Monday, police said a woman reported that a man was watching her from a car when she was out for a walk, but the man didn’t approach her.
Police posted a short item about the incident on the department’s Facebook page and said patrol officers are “giving special attention on their patrol beats for the suspected vehicle and person” on the West End, although they didn’t describe the car or person they are looking for.
In posts on Facebook this week, residents have offered their own description of the vehicle, but police spokesman David Singer said there have been conflicting descriptions so police are holding off on providing details. He said police are actively investigating the incident but they don’t have strong enough descriptions of the vehicle or the suspect to provide details to the public.
The incident Monday was “a hot topic” on the West End Nextdoor online neighborhood group said Lexi Brand, a member of the group.
She said other women came forward with accounts of being watched by a man who was lurking and appeared to be doing what she called “inappropriate” things in his car as he watched the women. Brand said it seemed that enough women had offered police descriptions of the man and his car for it to be included in police alerts about the incidents. She and some commenters were upset that police instead sent out a warning that didn’t include those details.
Anne Pringle, president of the Western Prom Neighborhood Association, said she’s satisfied with the police response to the incidents so far.
“We are concerned, needless to say,” Pringle said.
She hopes the stepped-up police attention in the neighborhood will help, and she encouraged residents to take precautions when they head out.
In addition to not walking alone, Pringle said residents should be alert to where they are. She also said that people should avoid talking on their cellphones while walking, but have one handy to call police if they are concerned that they are being watched.
“People need to be aware of their surroundings,” she said. Pringle said it’s unrealistic to expect police would happen upon an incident in progress, so residents need to call police if they see something that concerns them.
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