| Bait Car | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime–reality |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | KKI Productions |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Court TV (now truTV) |
| Original airing | August 6, 2007 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Bait Car is an American television series airing on the truTV network. The show depicts would-be car thieves caught in the act of auto theft. Police target criminals with a high-tech bait car, rigged with hidden cameras and radio trackers. Viewers are taken along for the ride from the moment the car is stolen to the thief's arrest.
Contents |
The Bait Car series premiered in August 2007 on Court TV (now truTV). Season two of the show premiered in August 2009 on truTV, and season three premiered in June 2010. The first three seasons of the show were primarily shot in Los Angeles and New Orleans. After nearly four months with no new episodes, Bait Car began airing a fourth season in December 2010 on Mondays at 8:30pm EST. Shot in San Francisco, this fourth season was produced by KKI Productions, and a 2007 Honda Accord was used as the bait car.[1]
In this crime reality series, teams of undercover officers drive the bait car to areas with high rates of auto theft, where they park it and leave it unattended with the engine running. The idea is that would-be car thieves will hop in and drive away. Unbeknownst to the criminals, a hidden camera and a radio tracker have been placed on the dashboard, and a police force is watching their every move. The thief is then tracked down and arrested.[2] Bait Car operations typically call for about a dozen officers on duty, and the cases are often charged as misdemeanors.[1]
Opponents of Bait Car have expressed concern that the show merely creates crime and might even be considered entrapment.[3] "What this boils down to is crime creation", a San Francisco public defender says. "It's crime created for the purposes of entertainment. I don't know how any district attorney could in good conscience put this before a jury."[1]
Those in law enforcement argue that the show is a legitimate and effective way to catch auto thieves. "John Q Public doesn't climb into bait cars," a Florida officer states. "We are talking about people who have been arrested time and time again. Everybody we've arrested with a bait car has had an extensive criminal record."[4]
| Known States | Known Cities | Known Organizations |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Birmingham | Birmingham Police Department |
| California | Los Angeles County San Bernardino San Francisco |
California Highway Patrol Criminal Investigations Unit Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department San Francisco Police Department Taskforce for Regional Autotheft Prevention |
| Georgia | Atlanta | Atlanta Police Department |
| Illinois | Chicago | Chicago Police Department |
| Louisiana | New Orleans | New Orleans Police Department |
| Nevada | Las Vegas | Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Vehicle Investigations Project for Enforcement and Recovery |
| Washington | Seattle Spokane Tacoma Everett Yakima |
King County Sheriff's Office Snohomish County List of counties in Washington Most Washington counties have active bait programs. |