State Patrol Uses 'Bait Car' To Catch Thieves

One hundred cars are stolen each and every day here in Washington.

But police are using a high-tech tool to bait car thieves and catch them in the act.

Car theft is a huge problem in our state. Many cars are never recovered. Those that are found are often returned to their owners stripped down and damaged.

That's what happened to a Honda belonging to a woman named Jaime.

"Suspension problems, taillights are taken out. Headlights taken off, my bumper's fallin' off," she said.

But now the state patrol has a new weapon to combat the crime.

"The whole idea behind the bait car is to catch auto thieves," said Lt. Jeff DeVere of the Washington State Patrol.

Several other states already use bait cars -- specially-equipped vehicles that lure thieves and not only videotape them stealing the car, but also turn into rolling jail cells.

"It has the ability to lock the doors, shut the motor off when a police officer comes behind them," DeVere said.

The State Patrol showed us how the system works. First, officers park the bait car in an area where it's likely to get stolen.

"I want this car to be visible parked just like a normal car."

Once the bait car is in place, it's monitored by dispatchers.

An alert sounds when a thief takes the car, then a GPS tracking system kicks in and, in this test, dispatchers show us exactly where the car is going.

"He's now westbound on a 112th from 24th," said Laurie Langlois of the Washington State Patrol. "Right now, speeds are 16 miles an hour he's heading north."

Dispatchers then alert troopers in the area the bait car is on the move, and they get ready to intercept it.

Once they're behind the bait, the dispatcher can lock doors and kill the engine with a click of a mouse.

Then, like in these real life examples, all the crooks can do is coast to a stop and wait to be arrested.

The state patrol says it cost about $4,000 to set up a bait car, but they can put the equipment on any vehicle and leave it anywhere so thieves will never know if they're taking the bait.