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Jun 3, 2008 8:40 pm US/Central
Family Has Questions After Bait Car Death
Dallas Police Suspend Bait Car Program
DALLAS (CBS 11 News/ AP) ―
The family of an 83-year-old Dallas woman killed in a collision with an alleged "bait car" thief is looking for answers.
They want to know why police didn't stop the man before he crashed into Annie Reyes.
Today Dallas police addressed the issue at a news conference.
"Bait cars" are just that—bait left by police to entice would-be thieves.
The cars are equipped with GPS tracking systems, video cameras, microphones and a remote-controlled "kill switch" that police can activate to disable the vehicle.
When a crook takes the bait, police generally try to shut down the car before he can get away.
And the camera in the car gives officers video evidence they can use in court.
Around 1:30 Monday afternoon, police say Annie Reyes was driving in Dallas when a thief crashed into her in the bait car he had stolen.
She later died at a local hospital.
Police didn't flip the kill switch in this case, and Reyes' family wants to know why.
Officers say this isn't the first time Eddie Ramirez has stolen a car.
He's done it six times before, according to police, and evaded arrest three times.
Today Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said he has suspended the department's bait car program.
Kunkle said after Ramirez stole the car, the officers who were monitoring it lost sight of him for a moment.
When they saw him that second time, Kunkle said, they had him in view for less than 30 seconds before he crashed into Reyes' car.
"Our policy, which we are reviewing, is we don't direct a bait car to be shut off unless officers see the vehicle, because we want to do that in an area and manner as safe as possible," Kunkle said.
Laura Reyes, the victim's granddaughter, says she doesn't understand how Ramirez even got close to her grandmother's car.
"You wonder why he got as far as he did," she said, "and it just seems like it could've been prevented."
In addition to the car theft charges, Eddie Ramirez is facing a murder charge for Annie Reyes' death.
Bait cars have resulted in 245 arrests since the program began in 2004, officials said.
"We still think the bait cars are a very, very valuable tool and a safer way to arrest auto theft suspects than almost any of the other alternatives," Kunkle said.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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