Bait car
A bait car, also called a decoy car, is a prepared vehicle, which is used in the United States, Canada and England by the police to catch car thieves.
The vehicles are converted, inter alia, with GPS tracking and audio / video surveillance and can be remotely monitored and controlled remotely. An emergency stop switch can be installed in the vehicles, which allows the police to stop the engine and lock the doors to prevent escape of the perpetrators.
In Germany, this method is not practiced by the police, as it is a incitement to an offense. Individuals, however, can convert their car to a bait car in Germany.
Method
The bait car, which is often loaded with valuables, to draw the attention of thieves on itself, is parked in areas with high auto theft rates. In some cases, the vehicle is parked just unlocked with key or with the engine running. Once the car is stolen, the police will be alerted immediately. The police can monitor the vehicle or send control commands to the vehicle, eg stop the engine to block the doors or honking. Live audio / video streaming equipment can be installed to determine how many people are in the car, what they are and whether they are armed.
In 2010, the "Anti -Vehicle Crime Association of Minnesota " gave ( Association against vehicle crime, Minnesota) Police Department Minneapolis a price for their bait car program, which ran 12 years ago at the time. In 2002, a similar project in accordance with the Minneapolis program in Essex, United Kingdom, was launched.
The largest bait car fleet in North America after the Minneapolis model is of the " Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team" (IMPACT ), headquartered in Surrey (British Columbia) operated in Canada. Surrey was designated in 2002 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as the "Capital of car theft in North America" . The program launched in 2004 has led to a decline of 55 % in car thefts.
Bait cars can be used as part of a so-called " honey pot " as an incentive for potential perpetrators. In this way it can succeed the police to arrest not yet been entered as car thieves in appearance people.
Bait cars in Reality TV
The use of bait cars is represented in numerous documentaries and reality television programs, such as " COPS " and "World's Wildest Police Videos". They were the main theme of " Court TV " - now " truTV " - series titled " Bait Car" ( = bait car).