The San Francisco Police Department wants to put the brakes on the city’s bike-theft problem. Hidden throughout the city are bait bikes鈥攂icycles outfitted with GPS locators that tip off police to potential thefts in real time.
Rather than , police have created a veritable guerilla campaign broadcasting the sting hoping it will get potential thieves to think twice.
SFPD has already printed out to hand out, emblazoned with “IS THIS A BAIT BIKE?” and a picture of someone behind bars. It introduced the campaign with a flashy Craigslist ad that speaks to the department’s self-image.
The , but Grist reporters managed to :
San Francisco has historically been hit with stolen. The GPS locators won’t be able to track all bike parts if they end up in chop shops, but the goal is for police to mobilize and nab suspects before bait bikes travel far from crime scenes.
San Francisco is . Departments around the country attest to their effectiveness, though universities have found that , and some argue that the 鈥攕erial bike thieves who work for chop shops, of which .
SFPD has stepped up its bike watch since Bike theft in the city rose 70 percent between 2006 and 2012, with .