The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Bait Cars getting stolen makes great reality TV
In 2004, British Columbia introduced a program aimed at cutting car theft.
As opposed to the organized criminals stealing your targeted high-ticket ride, Bait Cars, operated by the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT), are aimed at opportunistic thieves who nab vehicles to joyride, use in the commission of another crime, rifle the contents to steal, or get from one spot to another.
The program is teamed with the government of B.C., and ICBC.
The vehicles are kitted out with GPS monitoring and a camera facing from the dashboard. The engine also has a kill switch that can be activated remotely by police, which is a genius way to avoid high-speed chases. According to Inspector Rob Vermeulen, who oversees the project, that is a vital public safety feature.
“Driver behaviour is a huge concern,” he explains. “That GPS lets us know the speed and direction of travel for the car from the moment it’s started, and we can cut the engine and it will coast to a stop whenever we determine public safety might become threatened.”
Another upside? They are on top of the thieves before the thieves know what hit them.
IMPACT has the largest fleet of bait cars in North America. It features an everchanging cast of cars, rotated in and out of hotspots designated by where thefts are happening, and on what type of vehicles.
Police in local municipalities determine their needs, and IMPACT puts a roster in place. While the city of Vancouver operates its own program, IMPACT is in every other place in British Columbia.
You can watch the videos at baitcar.com and I highly recommend it. It’s like watching a baited fishing line with a bobber on it; the float goes under, and the game is on. Because the program has been around so long, it’s not surprising to hear those caught on tape often asking, “you think this is a bait car?” They’re usually wrong, as you can see in one video when a passenger confidently smashes the rearview mirror and announces there is no camera in it. Because of course, that is where it would be. It’s not.
Some passengers have more pressing concerns. “Can you put your seat forward, bro? Just a little bit?” repeated over and over. “Don’t drive it like you stole it,” cautions one front-seat passenger, and then asks if the driver isn’t worried they’re in a bait car.
In one video, a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde duo are thrilled the car has a full tank of gas but bummed the car isn’t a manual transmission. They even comment that for a bait car, it has a nice interior. They think they’re kidding. She finds a laptop in the car (bait in the bait is a thing, sometimes) and is immediately on her phone trying to sell it. When they figure out the cops are on them, her bravado falls apart.
“I’m pregnant,” she yells to the police arresting her. Doubt it, and it actually pisses me off: if you’re gonna crime while female, don’t go looking to be all speshul because you got caught.
Vermuelen can’t reveal the actual number of vehicles in the fleet, and will only divulge that they reflect targets popular with thieves and are distributed in areas of concern.
Some bandits appear to start the ignitions with keys; others use a screwdriver or other device to hack it. It never takes more than a few seconds for them to be on their way, regardless of how they get going.
Except for one dude, believing nonchalance will be the key to success as he hops in the car, inspects the glove box contents, unwraps a snack (and litters), asks a passerby what the date is, and finally after 279 seconds sets off in his stolen car.
Fleets are rotated throughout the province and involve more than just cars. Snowmobiles, boats, motorcycles, ATVS, RVS, and even heavy industrial equipment have all been used as bait.
“We’ve had thieves go through Mcdonald’s drivethrus, we’ve had thieves argue with each other that it couldn’t be a bait car because it’s too old. We’ve heard them say it’s too ‘teenager’d out’,” he laughs. Other ‘bait’ includes things inside those vehicles, like tools or electronics.
IMPACT stresses the importance of not leaving valuables in your vehicle (their videos with laptops sitting on the seats prove what a lure contents can be to thieves), locking your car, parking in well-lit areas and always taking your keys with you.
While there was a marked reduction in theft in 2020 (50 bait car arrests) over 2019 (90 bait car arrests), Vermeulen notes they attribute much of that drop to the pandemic, with more people staying at home, and fewer vehicles parked at workplaces and recreation centres. Since its inception, the program has supplied a steady stream of fish who took the bait.
Sometimes, the cars don’t even have to be stolen to be effective. “Within seconds of entering the vehicle, the suspect had removed a number of bait items, including two rifle cases, and was going back for more when officers arrived,” according to one report.
A bait car a few weeks ago was responsible for capturing a man wanted on a Canadawide warrant; he scooped a car in Kelowna, and instantly put himself on police alert.
In San Marcos, Texas, in 2016, police used bait motorcycles to break up a rash of thefts.
In Winnipeg in 2018, police launched a program using bait bikes to help curb bicycle theft in that city.
The Bait Car slogan is direct: Bait Cars are everywhere. Steal one. Go to jail.