Skip to content

Police want ID of bait car video star

The vehicle, parked on Marshall Road in Abbotsford, was 'baited' with electronic items
47892abbotsfordbaitcarvideo
A still image taken of a suspect in a bait car in Abbotsford. Police are hoping to identify him.

The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) is asking for the public's help in identifying a man who apparently stole electronics from a bait car on July 27.

Const. Ian MacDonald said a man entered the unlocked vehicle, which was set up on Marshall Road, just after midnight. He rooted through the car and took a set of headphones, an iPod, a GPS and a cellphone.

MacDonald said the APD has "several" bait cars in the community at any given time.

"We try to change things up ... We use different vehicles and present them in different ways. Some are locked; some are unlocked. Some have items prominently displays; others have them more hidden."

MacDonald said the vehicle used in the latest incident was left unlocked because that was the scenario occurring in Abbotsford at the time. The APD previously issued reminders for residents to lock their cars after an increase in the number of thefts from unlocked vehicles.

Bait cars in the Lower Mainland are operated by the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) in partnership with individual police agencies.

They are used by police to capture thieves stealing the vehicle or items within the car. If the vehicle itself is stolen, the location, speed and direction of travel is monitored by police dispatchers at E-Comm through GPS tracking.

Everything that happens inside the vehicle is caught on audio and video.

The dispatcher co-ordinates police response and, once officers are in position behind the bait car, the engine will be disabled at the click of a mouse button.

The Abbotsford bait car video can be viewed at "Abbotsford Police Department" on Facebook. Anyone with information about the person in the video is asked to call the APD at 604-859-5225.

 



Vikki Hopes

About the Author: Vikki Hopes

I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and have been at the Abbotsford News since 1991.
Read more