Bait cars arrive at Calgary park and ride lots

KRISTA SYLVESTER/Metro Calgary

Calgary police Staff Sgt. Colin Adair and Calgary Transit’s Brian Whitelaw launch the Bait Car program at the city’s park and ride transit lots yesterday. The program hopes to decrease car thefts at the lots.

More about Calgary Transit

New Crime Stoppers campaign takes transit

Changes may be en route for low-income riders

All aboard! At ground level

C-Train driver still haunted by fatality

• According to Brian Whitelaw, there have been 126 car thefts from city lots in 2010, which is a 50 per cent decrease over last year’s numbers in the same time frame.

Published: March 10, 2010 5:52 a.m.

Last modified: March 10, 2010 10:19 a.m.

Be the first to comment

Print article

Text size

Car thieves beware: The Calgary police and Calgary Transit are teaming up to bait you.

Since the Bait Car program was introduced in November 2008, car thefts have decreased substantially across the city, according to police, and now they plan to spread that success to transit’s 14,000 park and ride stalls.

“The message is simple. Steal a bait car and we’ll catch you and you will go to jail.

“We have a lot of success with this program as part of the overall auto theft strategy,” police Staff Sgt. Colin Adair said.

A bait car is intended to be stolen and when it is, the location and speed is monitored by police and the suspect will be apprehended, police say.

Adair said the program has been so successful across the city it only makes sense to extend into the city’s park and ride lots.

“We park them everywhere vehicles are being stolen,” Adair said, adding they can’t release the number of bait cars in use.

Brian Whitelaw, Calgary Transit’s safety co-ordinator, is excited about the prospect of making the lots safer.

“This will definitely decrease the amount of car thefts in lots and it’s part of an overall strategy,” he said.

More about Calgary Transit , Calgary Crime

more local stories

City bracing for retirements

With over one-third of the City of Calgary’s workforce eligible to retire in the next five years, officials say they’ve been planning ahead.

Stolen cars found prior to house fire

Two stolen cars were found on a Calgary property just days before it was found ablaze late Sunday, but police do not suspect foul play.

Dad pleads guilty to rape, murder of stepdaughter

A Calgary man has pleaded guilty to strangling and raping his 17-year-old stepdaughter.

Add your comment

Comments are not reviewed before posting. If you believe a comment has violated the commenting guidelines, please alert a moderator using links provided.