Regional Public Journalism
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Dispatches from public radio's correspondent at the Oregon Legislature. This is a venue for political and policy coverage of the state government in Salem and its impact on the people of Oregon.

Oregon Measure Would Make It A Crime To Attach GPS Unit To Another Person's Vehicle

Chris Lehman
/
Northwest News Network

Oregon lawmakers are advancing a measure that would make it a crime to attach a tracking device to another person's vehicle without their permission.

Democratic Sen. Floyd Prozanski said the bill would be another tool to crack down on stalkers. He said it came to his attention when a woman in Springfield became the unwitting recipient of such a device on her car.

"It wasn't until she had work done on the car that the repair people noticed the box, told her what it was, and that's when law enforcement got involved,” Prozanski said. “And we realized there was no crime for this."

Prozanski said a police investigation found the woman’s ex-boyfriend put the unit there. The measure cleared the Oregon Senate unanimously and now heads to the Oregon House.