bait car
Thief-catching vehicle
A bait car is a vehicle left by police in a location where car theft is common, equipped with hidden surveillance and remote-disabling technology.
When someone steals it, officers track and stop the car remotely, then make an arrest.
The tactic is controversial—critics argue it constitutes entrapment, while police maintain it targets those already intent on theft.
False target for misdirection
- trapDevice for catching animals
- lureThing that tempts
- sting operationDeceptive arrest scheme
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
entrapment · setup · police · theft prevention · auto theft · GPS tracking · vehicle recovery · temptation
Ongoing observation of something
- trackingMonitoring location over time
- camerasVisual recording devices
- stakeoutProlonged covert observation
- observationAttentive watching or remark
hidden camera · remote · wiretap · real-time · GPS · alert system · covert · watchlist
decoy
False target for misdirection
- trapDevice for catching animals
- lureThing that tempts
- sting operationDeceptive arrest scheme
undercover · entrapment · setup · police · theft prevention · auto theft · GPS tracking · vehicle recovery · temptation · snare
monitoring
Ongoing observation of something
- trackingMonitoring location over time
- camerasVisual recording devices
- stakeoutProlonged covert observation
observation · hidden camera · remote · wiretap · real-time · GPS · alert system · covert · watchlist · dispatch
- Sting Operationssting operation, undercover, bust, decoy, informant