Cars placed strategically around the city in an attempt to attract criminals simultaneously function as one of the police’s attempts to ward off crime.
The Columbia Police Department’s bait car program has been protecting local drivers from car theft since 2008.
The program consists of placing cars in strategic areas of the city to attract and consequently arrest criminals. CPD Detective Chris Boyle said once a bait car is stolen, a signal in the car sends a notification to the police department, allowing officers to respond immediately and arrest the suspect in question.
“I believe (the program’s successful),” Boyle said.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, car thefts in Columbia have declined since the program was implemented. In 2006, 226 cars were stolen, and by 2008, car thefts were down to 147. Because fewer cars have been stolen, there has also been a dramatic decrease in the number of people arrested for motor vehicle theft.
“While our population has gone up since we implemented the program, car thefts have gone down,” Boyle said.
This might prove the efficiency of CPD’s bait car program, Boyle said. But recent figures by the Missouri State Highway Patrol are very similar to those released before the program was implemented.
In comparing car thefts from 2004 and 2011, the number of car thefts actually increased by one car. In 2004, 141 cars were stolen, four years before the program was put into practice. In 2011, there were 142 cases of motor vehicle theft, according to a report by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
“(The bait car program) sounds like a good idea, but you can’t necessarily say it’s the reason why car thefts went down,” junior Kelsey Jones said.
Regardless of her reservations, Jones said the bait car program increased her feeling of safety.
Boyle said that though he was confident in the program’s success, CPD’s bait car program was likely not the only reason why car thefts have recently declined.
“There’s a trend for car thefts to go down nationally anyway,” Boyle said. “Can I say it’s the only cause? No. But I definitely think it’s a factor.”
CPD invested $8,000 in the program last year. This fund went toward the maintenance and proper functioning of the cars. Among other things, the money went toward repairing any damages to the car that could have been made during an attempt to steal it.
Boyle would not call this investment an attempt to expand the program, but he said it helped keep it up and running properly.
Although CPD has jurisdiction over the city of Columbia, it does not necessarily work with the MU Police Department to prevent car thefts on campus.
“I wouldn’t put [a bait car] on campus until I talked with the University of Missouri,” Boyle said.
