Electric Vehicle: Metro Police Fight Increased Car Thefts

Metro Police Fight Increased Car Thefts - Nashville News Story - WSMV Nashville WSMV.com

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POSTED: 3:23 pm CDT March 17, 2011UPDATED: 6:43 pm CDT March 17, 2011

NASHVILLE, Tenn. --

Most car thieves aren't caught, and that's part of the reason cases of stolen cars are on the rise across the city. In response, Metro police are now stepping up the way they catch car thieves in the act, even getting them on camera.

Video: Police Trap Thief In Bait Car

?We have solved several good crimes with (a bait car),? said Sgt. Billy Smith of Metro?s Auto Theft Unit.

A man caught by police cameras saw a car sitting in a parking lot, decided to get inside and drive. But in this case, he was driving what police call a "bait car."

?Once the bait car has been activated, we have a kill switch that will stop the engine, it rolls the windows up and locks the doors,? said Smith.

In the video, the man?s expression quickly changes from a broad, beaming grin to the face of defeat, his hands in the air because he's been caught.

?It?s like a surprise birthday party. You don?t know what?s going on until it hits you,? said Smith.

The number of car thefts in Nashville has increased from about 320 this time last year to more than 380 so far this year. About 30 percent of those were because drivers left their keys in the car. The rest were just brazen thieves breaking in. So now Metro's Auto Theft Unit is adding bait cars to its fleet to catch more criminals.

?It may or may not be a bait car, and the criminal has to take that choice whether to take it or not to take it,? said Smith.

The bait cars are set up along interstates, in driveways and even parked at the Hickory Hollow Mall. It?s a move shoppers seem to appreciate.

?It really means a lot to me that they actually thought to have something out here, that way my car is safe and everyone else's,? said shopper Maurice Sanders.

The bait cars come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. Metro just got two new ones, thanks to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which donates resources to police so they can catch more car thieves.

?I don?t want to have to pay thousands of dollars to my insurance company just to replace something that's already mine,? said shopper Shaunda Sanders.

Police said the thieves they catch with bait cars have probably stolen at least 10 other cars before they were actually caught. Many of them do not serve more than one or two years in jail before they allowed back on the streets. But police said they're optimistic stepping up this tool can at least slow the overall activity.Copyright 2011 by WSMV.com. All rights reserved.
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