Earlier this year, the Albuquerque Police Department in New Mexico saw an increase of juveniles committing crimes, specifically, vehicle theft.
"They are involved in criminal activity and the number one criminal activity they all go back to is auto theft," Chief Harold Medina said during a press conference. As a result, the department set up bait cars. Predictably, they caught teens trying to steal them.
Now, another city is implementing a similar approach. This time, with houses.
The city of Atherton, California, has turned 50 homes into “bait houses” with tracking devices installed in items of property they believe burglars will want to steal.
According to NBC News, this comes as the city has seen a dramatic uptick in home burglaries.
"The idea behind it is once one of these items starts being moved, we will get a notification at the police department, which is going to start our response,” Atherton police Cmdr. Dan Larsen told the outlet.
From that point, the police department will launch a drone to follow the tracking device and about 50 mounted license-plate readers that have been placed around the city would be able to detect the getaway vehicle and provide a description, he added.
One resident and homeowner, John Maulbetsch, told the outlet that he’s “impressed” with the idea, though he doesn’t like the idea of surveillance.
“Basically, I don’t like surveillance much, but I think this is an effective scheme,” he said.
“We are not setting homes up to where, ‘Hey! come here. This is the house that we want you to burglarize.’ It is a home where we’re working with the community and they’re saying ‘Hey! we’re interested in this program,’” Larsen said. “We’re going into their homes, embedding those tracking devices on stuff that is already existing inside of the property, and once it gets taken, then we start our investigation.”
Last week, the Atherton Police Department announced that the first residences for the Bait House Program were set up.
“This milestone is a significant step towards enhancing our community, and it would not have been possible without your incredible support and dedication,” a press release from the department stated.
“As the program progresses, more residences will be established. Please be aware that you may be contacted in the future to participate in setting up your residence as part of the Bait House Program. Your ongoing support and cooperation are greatly appreciated,” it added.
