Bait Car Debuts

The Gaithersburg Police Department is launching a new crime-fighting tool designed to target areas in the city that have experienced a series of thefts from vehicles. The “anti-theft vehicle” program is also known as a “bait car.”

The “bait car” is a vehicle operated by the police and contains valuable items to draw attention to it. The vehicle is parked in a specific location that has been identified as a high theft from vehicle area. In some cases, the vehicle may be left unlocked. The “bait car” is equipped to immediately notify officers when a theft or attempted theft from vehicle is made and the criminal activity of the suspect(s) is video recorded.

“Theft from vehicles is a crime of opportunity and can occur in every state, city and neighborhood,” said Chief Mark Sroka. “Because this type of crime is common throughout the city of Gaithersburg and the entire metropolitan area, the Gaithersburg Police Department is taking a proactive approach to reduce the incidents of thefts from vehicles.”

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