N ovem ber 2. 2 0 0 5
^ o rtla n b © bseruer_______ _____
L aw & J ustice
Local Residents Beware of ‘Flood Cars’
Officials warn
of concealed
damage
dividuals may try to prey on con­
sumers looking for a bargain. Any
time a deal sounds too good to be
true, it usually is. That’s particu­
larly true of cars.”
The number of vehicles dam-
little water is such a big problem for
vehicles. But submersion in water
does severe damage, particularly
when water enters the passenger
compartment:
W ater and electronics don’t mix.
Unscrupulous individuals
may try to prey on consumers
looking for a bargain. Any time
a deal sounds too good to be
true, it usually is.
More than half a million cars may
have been ruined by flooding from
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita along
the G ulf Coast, according to esti­
mates by the National Automobile
D ealers Association. Hurricane
W ilma in Florida may add to those
numbers.
The disasters may be thousands
of miles away, but even Orego­ - Chris R a tliff, m anagerof the Oregon DMV Business Regulation U nit
nians in the market for a used car
need to beware, Oregon DMV aged by the recent hurricanes is so Modern vehicles are full of elec­
large that the National Insurance tronics, controlling the engine,
warns.
Crime
Bureau has created a data­ transmission, emission control de­
“Moving totaled cars from state
base
of
vehicles
affected by Katrina vices, dash board, warning lights,
to state and concealing their histo­
and
Rita.
The
NICB
is allowing the external lights and entertainment
ries is a national problem, even with­
public
to
check
Vehicle
Identifica­ systems. These chips may be lo­
out hurricanes,” said Chris Ratliff,
cated inside the dash or even under
tion
Numbers
at
www.nicb.org.
manager of the DMV Business
the seats. Failure o f a single chip’s
Consumers
often
wonder
why
a
Regulation Unit. “Unscrupulous in­
function could result in severe dam ­
age to the engine, for example.
No more new-car smell. Cleaning
carpets and seats may improve the
appearance of a flooded car’s inte­
rior, but mold and residues may
remain.
Salt is corrosive to metal. The
breach of Lake Ponchartrain sent
saltwater into New Orleans after
Hurricane Katrina. The effects of
salt corrosion may take time to show
up as failures in electronic systems
A car flooded to its rooftop is art example o f the hundreds o f
and engine components.
There is no guaranteed way to thousands o f automobiles ruined by flooding from hurricanes
avoid buying a damaged car, yet Katrina and Rita along the Gulf Coast.
Oregonians shopping for a used
Hire a professional mechanic to title and check for title brands such
car during the next several months
inspect
a vehicle before purchase. as “salvage” or “flooded.”
can reduce their risks by taking a
Shop for a used vehicle among
Ask
for
the Vehicle Identifica­
few precautions:
licensed auto dealers, who are as
tion
Number
and
check
the
VIN
at
Inspect the vehicle. Look for
eager to avoid damaged cars as
signs of water, mud, corrosion or www.nicb.org or against online
consumers are. O regonians can
services
such
as
Carfax
or
Experian.
residue in carpet, upholstery, the
find out whether a dealer is licensed
glove box, inside the dash if that’s Or ask your auto insurance agent to
by visiting the Business section of
check
a
VIN.
easy to examine, inside tail light
Ask the seller to show you the www.OregonDMV.com.
fixtures, etc.
Survey Finds Renewed
Drive Against Poverty
Elder Scam Case May Grow
A M ultnomah County G rand Jury has
indicted 35-year-old Troy G allagher on
15 counts of theft in connection w ith a
hom e im provem ent scam.
Portland Police D etectives initiated
the crim inal case after receiving infor­
mation that G allagher and his uncle, 56-
year-old Gene G allagher, had been con­
ta c tin g eld erly and m ed ically frail
hom eow ners and convincing them that
they needed repairs to their homes.
As least tw o victim s agreed to the
repairs and then paid Troy G allagher
more than $ 10,000 for repairs that were
le v e r done, police said. In
1998, both suspects were
convicted of crimes in a simi­
lar scam involving an 85-
year-old victim.
Investigators believe the
suspects are using the busi­
ness name “Handyman Yard
Services.”
D etectives believe there Troy Gallagher
Gene Gallagher
may be many victim s in the
one w ith in fo rm atio n is asked to call
P o rtlan d area and are seeking in fo r­
D etectiv e A m ber L ew is at 503-823-
m ation from anyone w ho m ay have
0272.
had c o n ta c t w ith the su spects. A ny-
Cocaine, Ecstasy Seized
Knock on Door Leads to Assault
P o lic e sa id th e y se iz e d 1.5
p o u n d s o f co cain e and 4 ,5 0 0 p ills
o f e c s ta s y , v a lu e d to g e th e r at
$75,000, as w ell as $15,000 in cash
and a W in ch ester 20 gau g e sh o t­
gun from an apartm en t at 255 S. W.
H arriso n St.
Paul Ji H w an S o n g , 26 and
D ustin M ichale R ichards, 25, w ere
ch arg ed in c o n n ectio n w ith the
O ct. 13 bust by m em bers o f the
P o rtlan d P olice D rugs and V ice
D iv is io n , W a s h in g to n C o u n ty
W est Side In terag en cy N arco tics
T eam , Im m ig ratio n s and C ustom s
E n fo rcem en t and the FBI.
Police said a man who possi­
bly represented him self as a
door-to-door salesman knocked
on the door of a Sellwood area
home, making contact with the
female resident, and then physi­
cally and sexually assaulting her.
The alleged incident occurred
in the vicinity o f Southeast
Milwaukie Avenue andTacoma
Street on Oct. 20 at about 5 p.m.
The suspect is described as
about 21 to 25 years old and
possibly East Indian, African
American or another national-
ity. He has a thin build and
face, was clean-shaven, and
was wearing a dark suit with a
pink striped tie.
Prior to the assault, detec­
tives believe he may have been
seen w alking through the
Sellwood area carrying a note­
book and may have had con­
tact with other residents.
Anyone with information is
asked to call Detective Liz
Cruthers of the Portland Police
Bureau Sexual Assault Detail
at 503-823-0887.
Police released
this sketch of a
suspect in a
sexual assault.
Hurricane shook
public confidence
Hurricane Katrina has forged a strong
consensus among America’s major racial
and ethnic groups to eliminate poverty in
America, according to a new multilingual
poll. The storm and its aftermath also
shook public confidence in the U.S.
government’s capacity to handle catas­
trophes, including a terrorist attack.
These are among the major findings of
a national survey of 1035 Hispanics,
Asians, African Americans and non-His­
panic whites on Katrina’s impact.
The poll was conducted in six languages
by Sergio Bendixen for New California
Media.
Clear majorities of Asians, Hispanics,
African Americans and whites believe that
fighting poverty is now more important
than fighting terrorism or establishing
democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan, the
poll found.
“This is the first time in decades I have
seen poverty make it to the top of the
agendaforthe U.S. public," Bendixen notes.
“The dramatic images of families aban­
doned at the Superdome and on I-10
brought home just how tough it is to be
poor in America.”
When asked what option they fa­
vored for repairing Katrina’s damage, a
majority of all four groups chose “get­
ting U.S. troops out of Iraq as fast as
possible” .
Like the consensus on poverty, a ma­
jority of Hispanics, Asians and African
Americans and a plurality o f whites also
agreed that climate change and weak
environmental policies were likely to
cause future natural disasters.
All four groups were united in their
view that Katrina has eroded trust in the
U.S. government’s capacity to handle
natural disasters, let alone protect Ameri­
cans from a terrorist attack. Significant
percentages of immigrants from Asia
and Latin America believe their country
of birth could have done a better job in
responding to a similar disaster.
The one issue on which America’s
major ethnic and racial groups disagreed
was the role of racism in the Katrina
catastrophe. Most African Americans
blamed racial discrimination but a major­
ity of whites said it was not a factor.
Hispanics and Asians were evenly di­
vided.
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