EVERETT — Car thieves aren’t biting.
Since this time last year, bait cars have been parked randomly at Community Transit’s 19 park-and-ride lots around the county.
Not one has been stolen.
Some car thieves are beating the odds. Others may be scared off by the big signs posted at the lots warning would-be thieves that the car they try to steal could be wired for trouble.
“Car thefts at our park-and-rides are down. The bait cars have had the most significant impact,” transit spokesman Tom Pearce said. “If you’re a car thief and you know you stand a chance of being caught, you might think twice.”
When someone tampers with the bait car or starts it, the vehicle sends a signal that notifies the monitoring company. That company contacts police. Officers can track the stolen vehicle. Once in place, police can remotely kill the engine, lock the doors and trap the car thief inside.
A hidden video camera will capture all the action and provide evidence for prosecution.
There was a nibble on one of the bait cars a couple months ago.
Police arrested suspects who allegedly broke into a bait car and stole items inside. Once the car was disturbed, the monitoring company was notified. Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies caught up with a suspected prowler a short distance away. Deputies recovered the stolen property.
“I think this program is a deterrent. The signs are out, plus transit police in marked and unmarked cars are patrolling the lots,” sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Sorenson said.
Community Transit contracts with the sheriff’s office for police services.
Transit authorities won’t say how many cars they have or what models are being used.
They hope the bait cars will help keep car thefts and break-ins on the decline. There were 44 cars stolen and 63 burglaries from vehicles last year. There were 85 thefts and 71 car burglaries in 2006.
Typically, car thieves are attracted to apartment complexes, shopping malls, park-and-rides and other large parking lots where they can chose an easy target from rows and rows of cars.
The bait cars help them keep guessing.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
By the numbers
6,000 parking spaces are available at the Community Transit’s 19 park-and-ride lots.
250 days a year the lots are used.
1.5 million vehicles come and go over a single year.
44 cars were stolen in 2007.
0.003 percent of the cars that were in and out of the lots were stolen last year.
$1,200 pays for a monitoring company to track the bait cars.
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