I love this story out of Western Washington. Police in Bellevue are battling a large car theft crime spree. One of their tools is remote-controlled, life-sized real car, including a regular-looking Honda Civic with a few tricks up its sleeve. (The Honda Civic was the natural choice because it is one of the favorite targets of car thieves.)
Here is how they use it: Bellevue police simply park the dummy car on the side of the road in a location known to be frequented by car thieves and then wait. When a car thief steals the car, the vehicle sends a signal to police notifying them of the theft. It contains a GPS-tracking device so the police can locate the car and the thief.
When the police think the car, with its illegal occupant, is in a safe location, they send a satellite signal to remotely shut down the car’s engine. The even bigger surprise to the thief comes when the car doors are remotely locked and cannot be opened. The cornered and gift-wrapped perpetrator is so stunned that, although they could easily break the window glass, they normally sit there astounded until the arresting police arrive to extricate them.
Not surprisingly, thieves are already learning how to get around this: Car thieves know that most owners won't notice the car missing for at least a few hours, maybe longer. So, the thief steals the car and then parks it a large, nearby public parking lot. He waits one or two days, and if the car is still there, comes back and takes it for good. Hopefully, most car thieves will not be smart enough this little trick. What a world!
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