Apr 11, 2007 10:39 pm US/Central
Fort Worth Police Use Bait Cars To Catch Thieves
by Joel Thomas
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ―
In Tarrant County alone, more than 7,000 people a year walk outside and find their car is has been stolen.
Fort Worth's bait car program is putting the brakes on car theft.
Police use bait cars to catch crooks in the act. A bait car looks like any other car, but its not. Once a crook gets in, they're busted.
"This is a way we can catch the offenders in the act," said Sergeant Mark Wilson, Fort Worth Police. "It allows us to stop the offenders before they commit more acts."
It's the same way they caught one man late Wednesday night. He climbed into a bait car.
Police followed him until he was in a low traffic area. Then they sprang the trap.
Car thieves have no idea that when they start the car, they start a sequence of events. An alarm tells police someone is stealing the car.
The car is tracked with a dedicated police computer. When a patrol car is in position, police remotely kill the engine.
The doors lock the would-be thief in. The car has a video tape of the whole thing.
"There's no question about it," Sergeant Wilson said. "You're on film, and we have the evidence for you to see on the news."
Police also say drivers leave their keys in up to sixty percent of stolen cars. So remember to take them with you.
(CBS 11 News)
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