NCJ Number
101352
Date Published
1986
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This report describes a successful 'sting' operation, conducted by the North Shepherd Substation of the Houston Police (Texas), in which officers planted flashy cars at shopping malls and videotaped thieves trying to steal the cars or looting parts.
Abstract
The auto theft project was conducted over an 18-day period in March 1986 and used bait vehicles donated by local car dealers. Officers on the project arrested 72 suspects and recovered a significant amount of stolen property. Most suspects had prior criminal records, although only a very small proportion were on probation or parole. Statistics indicate that while auto thefts citywide increased for March, auto thefts for the North Shepherd jurisdiction malls decreased. One possible explanation is that word of the project leaked out to area criminals after several arrests had been made and caused auto theives to shift their business. The report includes suggestions for future operations of this type. Tables and newspaper clippings.