Better Bait, Better Catch

In 2005, more than 33 percent of all vehicles thefts reported in the United States took place in the four southwestern border States of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, according to Uniform Crime Reports. In 2007, the Border Research and Technology Center (BRTC)-Western Region undertook a review of lessons learned in the use of "bait vehicle" technologies as a means of combating motor vehicle theft along the southwest border.

The report, "Bait Vehicle" Technologies and Motor Vehicle Theft Along the Southwest Border, describes bait vehicle projects, their results, and potential implications for law enforcement with a focus on law enforcement agencies and organizations using vehicles and technologies to prevent and investigate cross border auto theft. Findings show that recorded audio and video from inside bait vehicles have proven extremely effective in court proceedings and that live streaming video from inside bait vehicles is the next step in improvement of technology to maximize bait vehicle effectiveness. In addition, information received through such organizations as the Border Auto Theft Information Center in El Paso, Texas, also suggests the potential application of geospatial tools in performing information analysis should more precise and systematic recovery location information become available on motor vehicles stolen in the United States and found in Mexico.

"Bait Vehicle" Technologies and Motor Vehicle Theft Along the Southwest Border is available on request through BRTC-Western Operations at brtcwestops@sbcglobal.net.

School Safety CD-ROMs Available from NLECTC

Law enforcement agencies and school systems can now obtain three important school safety programs at no cost on one CD-ROM.

A Critical Incident: What to do in the First 20 Minutes, developed by the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, takes users through a scenario involving a shooter in a high school. Viewers see the school's response and how it implements its plan. At the scenario's end, discussion questions allow them to discuss what went right, what went wrong, and how they can use the lessons learned to improve their own critical incident plans.

School Crime Operations Package (School COP), has been an extremely popular software program that enables school resource officers (SROs), SRO supervisors, school administrators, and security officers to enter a daily log of incidents, display incidents involving a particular student quickly (valuable for meetings with parents or students), and produce graphics showing school "hot spots" or year-to-year trends, which can help solve problems and communicate issues at school meetings. For example, a map can show where bullying incidents have occurred on a school campus. School COP can also provide evidence of activities undertaken or problems solved, which can help persuade a school board to continue funding an SRO program.

School Safety Plan Generator, an NIJ-developed software program, allows law enforcement personnel to create a document that serves as a foundation for preparing schools for violent critical incidents and as a reference guide for information needs during a critical incident. The software, created as a result of input from the members of NIJ's NLECTC System and the School Safety Technology Working Group, allows users to answer questions about a particular school and use the information to set up a profile that includes demographics, members of the critical incident planning team and their roles and responsibilities, emergency locations, supplies and equipment on hand, and critical lines of communication.

To obtain copies of the School Safety CD-ROM, contact NLECTC-Southeast at 800-292-4385 or contact the Rural Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center at 866-RURAL LE (866-787-2553). For more information about these projects contact Program Manager Mike O'Shea at the National Institute of Justice, Michael.Oshea@usdoj.gov