Smart way to catch some crooks

I don’t have a bicycle myself, but I have many friends who do, and I know that bicycles get stolen quite often in Greater Boston.

In Brookline, police have begun using a “bait bike” to catch bicycle thieves.

Police park the bike in spots where bicycle thefts are being reported, and the GPS tracker then turns on using a motion sensor when a thief takes the bait, according to Brookline Police.

“If you looked at the bike, it’s a regular bike–you’d never know,” said Brookline Police Lt. Derek Hayes.

Hayes, who used to head the Brookline Police Department’s bicycle unit, said the bait bike was first used by the department last year and is being used more intensely this summer.

Police said the bike has led to the arrest of eight would-be-thieves, including the arrest of two men on Aug. 4 after they cut the bike from a pole on Beacon Street.

I do hope other towns (including my own) start doing this.

-Geoff