Police Seek Bait Car Suspects

Unidentifed bait car suspect #1

Unidentified bait car suspect #2

ARLINGTON, VA

The Arlington County Police Department’s Auto Theft Unit is asking the public to help identify two men who attempted a larceny from one of the County-owned “bait cars” on June 25, 2006. The bait car’s hidden camera captured video of the two men entering the car and trying to remove the radio. An automatic signal sent from the car alerted Arlington County dispatchers to the intrusion but the men fled prior to the arrival of police.

Detective Chris Dengeles asks that anyone with information about these suspects call Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS. Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to arrests. Callers to Crime Solvers do not have to give their names and do not need to testify in court.

Since the Bait Car Program’s inception in 2002, there have been 66 “activations” when criminals entered bait cars to either steal the car or steal items from the car. Those activations resulted in the arrests of 54 suspects who were charged with a total of 90 felonies and 53 misdemeanors. To date, 44 of the defendants have come to court and the program has a 100% conviction rate.

Chief M. Douglas Scott recently accepted an award from the Virginia State Police program Help Eliminate Auto Theft (HEAT) for the department’s accomplishments. In May, the lead investigator for the Bait Car Program, Detective Chris Dengeles, received the Senior Trooper Mark DeHart Memorial LEO Award from HEAT. The award honored Det. Dengeles as the law enforcement officer who has done the most to combat auto theft in the last year in Virginia. Fewer cars were stolen in Arlington last year than in any year since 1965.