Concealed Dash Camera Catches More Than Just a Thief

Driving out of control and often drug-crazed, car thieves strike every 26 seconds in the United States, according to the most recent FBI statistics. Most are repeat offenders -- bandits who rip off everything inside the car and joy ride until they find their next target. The thieves will do apparently anything -- including driving at dangerously high speeds -- to escape being caught by police.

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But police have been using a hidden weapon to stop them -- one that has grown exponentially in law enforcement over the last few years. They are called "bait cars." The vehicles are rigged with hidden cameras and remote sensors that police can use to kill the engine and lock the doors. The decoy cars are left in an empty parking lot or on the street, waiting for a thief to hit. Sometimes the keys are even left inside.

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As soon as thieves take the bait, police are dispatched and tiny cameras start rolling inside the car. Initially, most crooks can't believe their good fortune in stealing a sleek-looking car. One Las Vegas crook bragged on camera: "A 2007 Escalade, right. Brand spankin' new." But his boastfulness soon turns to dismay when police stop the car and lock the crook inside: "Hey, we're getting pulled over, right now."

In recent years, bait car videos have become popular online. "We had about 10 million hits on the baitcar.com website," said Sgt. Tim Shields of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Vancouver. Until a recent promotion, Shields headed one of the most aggressive bait car programs in North America.

"There is a massive public appetite to take a look at these bait car videos," said Shields. "[It's like] a fly on the wall's view of what's going on inside a stolen car." But the thieves have gone online, too, becoming suspicious that any car they steal might be a bait car. They break into the car and wonder out loud as they're being recorded. One Vancouver passenger tells the driver, "It might be a bait car!" But the driver assures him it's not. Another thief trying to determine if the car they're stealing is a bait car looks around the dashboard and wonders, "Where would the camera be?"

Confessions of a Car Thief

Former car thief and ex-drug addict Aaron Victor claims at his worst he stole 25 to 30 cars a day. But he was caught in a Canadian bait car two years ago. "Did I know it was a bait car?" Victor asked. "No! I should have known it was a bait car."