UC Davis Begins 'Bait Bike' Program -- Yep, It’s Like the Show Bait Car

If you haven’t heard of the controversial show Bait Car, here’s the deal: Cops leave an unmanned car running in public in hopes of tempting a thief. Once the car is stolen, the police pounce, arresting the person who stole the car. The humiliation is caught on video and televised for the masses. 

In hopes of curbing bicycle thefts, the UC Davis Police Department is looking to implement a “Bait Bike” program. The ASUCD Bike Barn has agreed to provide campus police with a bicycle for a trial run.

“The BAIT program aims to proactively reduce bike thefts on our campus,” according to the senate bill, which notes that the ASUCD will allocate $681.40 from Capital Reserves to insure the bicycle that will be used.

The Aggie mentioned it in their Senate Brief: “While some members of the table were concerned about students being charged with a felony, [ASUCD Senator Don] Gilbert thought students shouldn’t be above the law. The bill passed with a 10-1-1 vote.”

UC Davis had 480 reported bike thefts in 2011 alone, but it's widely believed that number is lower than the reality. It could actually be triple that much, according to Andy Fell of UC Davis Communications. 

"We haven't actually purchased the bike yet," said Fell. "The bike will be locked. If somebody tries steal it, police will be alerted."

Please share your thoughts below this article. 

One reader reaised the issue of entrapment. 

"In California, entrapment must involve some sort of inducement by police that would cause a normal, law-abiding person to commit a crime," said Bernie Goldsmith, an attorney and Davis resident. "California case law is clear on this point: merely providing the opportunity to commit a crime, as with a bait bike, does not rise to that level. Police would have to do a whole lot more for entrapment to be in the cards as a defense here." 

Now, here are some enjoyable comments from Reddit (below).

• Why not go further? Wrist restraints pop out and restrain the thief and then the front tire lock up, all the while hidden speakers blare "I AM A BIKE THIEF" ...I have a vivid imagination. - BobTheJedi
• The bike is rigged to hit you in the face with pepper spray as you ride off -Onedubb
• Ugh, ASUCD is so misguided. You say below that they're looking to catch someone and give them "something much worse" than a slap on the wrist. The goal of this program shouldn't be "Hey, we're gonna bust someone hardcore, that'll show 'em," it should be "Opportunity thefts are becoming a serious problem. Just FYI, at least one of those oh-so-tempting bikes out there is bait, so think twice before jumping on that unlocked one in front of the Silo." - harmonicoasis
• I'd like to know a little more. Are they going to use GPS, cameras, or a guy in a bush? Is it going to be locked? If I see a nice bike on campus unlocked, ride it around for a bit and then return it am I going to jail? How long before someone steals this bike and gets away with it? My guess, 2 weeks. - SethQ 
• I remember seeing a cop show where they pulled this, but the bike they'd bought to use as bait was made by BMW or some other luxury car maker. Since the bike was so expensive, everyone they caught was charged with grand theft. Hopefully UCPD isn't as clever (or evil). - keen23
• If they leave it unlocked, it'll be stolen in <24 hrs. I'm all for it. - nainalerom
• It doesn't say how the program will be carried out, but I'm having a hard time seeing how this isn't going to be thrown out of any court as entrapment. Even with the ready and willing statute, I don't see how they're gonna get around it. - Kooterade8

Here's the full Reddit thread. 

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