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