Walnut Creek Police Finding Success With Bait Car Program
WALNUT CREEK (KPIX 5) -- While having your car broken into and your valuables stolen in the Bay Area has become an unfortunate fact of life, police in Walnut Creek Police are taking a different approach.
Many local residents and visitor make the mistake of leaving valuables visible in a parked car, regardless of how many warnings they hear and how common break ins have become across the Bay Area.
Walnut Creek police are trying to take advantage of how common the crime has become by baiting cars owned by the department.
"We're taking a proactive approach to auto burglary, said Walnut Creek Police Lt. Tracie Reese. "What we're doing is putting trackers inside of an item that would be appealing such as a purse or briefcase; items that we see stolen."
The bait items are left inside locked cars that belong to the police. When the tracking device is moved, the nearest patrol car responds and moves in.
So far, there has been no shortage of suspects willing to break the law to take the bait.
"It's working out really well. So far we've arrested seven different people," said Reese.
The bait car containing bait items is being parked at random locations around Walnut Creek. But to maintain the effectiveness of the program, the department needs to keep the car on the down low.
"Can't show you the bait car. That is something we don't want to advertise so, it's something I can't share with you," said Reese.
While police couldn't show the bait car to KPIX cameras, they did share surveillance video of one recent arrest.
The clip shows an officer making a quick turn across lanes of traffic to pursue a car that has a bait purse with a tracker in it. The suspect throws the purse out of the vehicle, but it was too late.
Walnut Creek also has a bait bike equipped with a GPS tracker.
"We've arrested six people stealing our bait bike so far."says Lt.Reese
Walnut Creek police want the public to know that officers are actively working to protect residents as well as their cars and possessions. However, they still ask that people please don't leave valuables in your car.
