(Portland, OR)  --  The number of reported car thefts in the Portland area is rising.  Officials say vehicle theft reports saw a 63-percent jump between January 1st and April 15th of this year over the same period in 2016.  Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Ryan Lufkin tells KGW-TV the reason is that most car-theft cases aren't being prosecuted, thanks to state court-of-appeals opinions that result in lenience for car thieves.  Lufkin says he's trying to help get a bill passed in the Oregon Legislature that would change the law and allow prosecution of auto thieves again.