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May 1991
POLICE PRACTICES:
BAITED VEHICLE DETAIL
Property crimes present a challenge to law enforcement
simply because they are difficult to investigate. According to
the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting publication, "Crime in the
United States, 1989," they have a high incidence/low clearance
rate. Released in August 1990, the 1989 larceny-theft total,
estimated at 7.9 million offenses, accounted for 55 percent of
the Crime Index total and 62 percent of the property crimes.
Thefts of motor vehicle parts, accessories, and contents made up
the largest portion of reported larcenies--38 percent.
Law enforcement has had little success in curbing the rate
of growth of this crime--only 18 percent of the property crimes
were cleared. However, a technique currently being used by the
Waycross, Georgia, Police Department may assist officers in
curtailing this particular crime.
This technique involves "baiting" a vehicle. Objects of
value are placed in a vehicle that is left unattended. The
objects placed inside of the car, such as weapons, are the
actual targets of theft, not the vehicle itself. After baiting
the vehicle, officers maintain a constant visual surveillance of
the vehicle until a thief takes the "bait."
PLANNING THE OPERATION
Planning the operation was the first consideration. To
begin, department officials identified a high-crime area within
their jurisdiction, where there had been an established pattern
of thefts with a specific modus operandi. Then, using data
gathered by the Crime Analysis Unit, they determined what area
should be targeted, whether to run the operation at night or
during the day, the most likely hours of intrusion, and what
objects were taken during the breaking and enterings.
PERSONNEL
The baited vehicle detail consists of no fewer than five
officers. Three officers, wearing camouflage uniforms, are
positioned on the ground within close proximity of the "baited"
vehicle. One of the officers videotapes the incident, while the
others remain ready to make the arrest. Two additional officers
position themselves in vehicles located close to the target, in
the event the suspect attempts to flee. Officers assigned to
this detail should understand their individual and collective
responsibilities, since there exists a strong possibility that
the members of the team may have to justify their actions during
legal proceedings.
CHOOSING A SITE
While the department considered several potential target
areas, the detail concentrates on commercial areas, which seem
to produce the best results. The sites chosen are conducive to
surveillance and to making apprehensions and vehicle stops.
However, when selecting a site, special emphasis is also placed
on the safety of both the officers and the public.
The other target areas considered for baited vehicles
included shopping centers, interstate highways and major
thoroughfares, and certain residential areas. However,
experience revealed inherent problems in these areas.
First, because shopping centers have people coming and
going at all times, the perpetrators task is made more
difficult. Second, interstate highways and busy thoroughfares
may produce some arrests, but baited vehicles placed here are
not the answer to the areas theft problem. Most people arrested
under these circumstances are persons traveling from area to
area, not those who contribute to the local theft problem.
Third, the department chose not to target residential areas
because they are usually high-density areas where there is a
good chance that the thief will be discovered by neighbors, who
may alert the police.
THE OPERATION
Prior to the start of each operation, a briefing is held
for all members of the detail to ensure that there are no
questions or problems to address. Watch commanders of target
areas are notified that an operation will be in progress and are
told how long the operation will last. For the most part, these
details begin at 9:00 p.m. and end at 1:00 a.m.
When the briefing ends, members of the detail drive a
truck, which is borrowed from a local car dealership, onto the
site and disable the truck, usually by removing a wheel and
placing the truck on a block. Guns are placed in plain view in
the truck, with the windows and doors secured. Then, the
officers take their assigned positions. When a perpetrator
takes the "bait," the officers on the ground move in to make the
arrest.
CONCLUSION
Although the baited vehicle technique is not a panacea to
the problem of property crime, it is useful in combating thefts.
In 1989, 62.5 percent of the baited vehicle details resulted in
arrests, 100 percent of those arrested were adult offenders, and
all of the cases have been successfully prosecuted. Considering
the amount of time and manpower expended by most departments on
the problem of property theft, the baited vehicle technique is,
perhaps, worth trying. If conducted properly, it may render
remarkable results.
_______________
Information for this column was submitted by Capt. Jimmy W.
Mercer, Commander of the Criminal Investigations Section,
Waycross, Georgia, Police Department.