Full articleSometimes the bait is a small amount of cash in a stray wallet. Or a credit card. Even a pack of cigarettes can do the trick.
Police in New York City leave the items unattended on subway platforms, on park benches, in cars and wait to see if someone grabs them.
The New York Police Department says the practice has been a valuable tool for catching career criminals and deterring thefts in public places. But a recent court ruling throwing out a larceny case against a Bronx woman cast a harsh light on a tactic critics say too often sweeps up innocent people.
Judge Linda Poust Lopez found that there was no proof Deirdre Myers tried to steal anything and that she was framed by a sting that took the tactic way too far.
Upholding the charges "would greatly damage the confidence and trust of the public in the fairness and effectiveness of the criminal justice system, and rightly so," the judge wrote.
In brief -- the NYPD has supposedly taken bait tactics, like leaving a valuable item in plain view, apparently unattended, and nabbing someone for taking it too far. In the case prompting the article, from what is in the article, they staged a bailout, then left apparent valuables in the "bad guy's" car. The article implies that they arrested a woman for merely looking into the car... which, if true, I absolutely agree is going too far.
What are your thoughts on bait tactics, like leaving a bicycle out and nabbing anyone taking it? Where is the line too far?