WHY AUSTIN BLUE CAT CAFE WAS TARGET FOR VANDALS

An effort by the Austin Police Department to increase the use of bait vehicles across the city has resulted in the arrests of more than two dozen suspected thieves since June.

“Bait car” sting operations typically use a vehicle equipped with GPS tracking devices that allow authorities to quickly catch any thief who tries to steal it.

Police Cpl. David Smith, with the department’s newly established Property Crimes Task Force, said the new eight-member unit began deploying in June, and hopes to have bait cars, trucks and motorcycles deployed in hot spots across the city on an around-the-clock basis.

Smith said the use of bait vehicles already has led to 30 arrests since the task force began operations, and police have shut down at least one sophisticated theft ring.

Before the formation of the task force, the Auto Theft Unit was responsible for the bait car program. Smith said the vehicles were normally deployed when caseloads and timing allowed, rather than around the clock, he said.

“Basically, the mission of this unit is to be the proactive enforcement branch for property crimes,” Smith said.

According to Austin police, officers use crime analysts to pinpoint key areas for vehicle thefts.

That information “will dictate

The use of bait vehicles already has led to 30 arrests since the task force began operations, and police have shut down at least one sophisticated theft ring.

where and what type of vehicle is deployed,” Smith said.

Smith wouldn’t say how many bait vehicles the department has at its disposal, but he did say officers are using a variety of makes and models.

“Recently, we worked with the (Travis County) sheriff ’s Combined Auto Theft Task Force, Pflugerville and Round Rock police departments, and we were able to make numerous recoveries of large trucks that were being stolen by an organized ring,” Smith said, adding that detectives are actively working on a similar investigation.

Citing an ongoing investigation, he said he couldn’t give additional details other than that the case involves multiple cities and counties in the area.

At least three men were arrested last week on state jail felony theft charges after running afoul of the department’s bait vehicles.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, police said Daniel Vadnais, 31, stole a motorcycle from the 600 block of Interstate 35 on Oct. 12.

Officer were able to track the vehicle and follow Vadnais to the 8400 block of Cima Oak Lane, where a second man, identified by police as Charles Spears, 47, helped wheel it into a garage.

By the time officers obtained a warrant to search the property, the vehicle was being stripped.

The same day, police said 22-year-old Jose Anselmo Salazar took off in a vehicle dubbed “Cobra 6” by the department in the 1100 block of Town Creek Drive, an arrest affidavit said.

Officers again tracked the vehicle and recovered it in a backyard in the 3500 block of Gonzales Street.

All three men were charged with theft.

“Austin is a very safe city,” Smith said. “It has been, (and) it still is in terms of violent crimes, but we do feel that property crime is a major issue that affects Austin residents more than other types of crime.”

According to Austin police records, 1,796 vehicles were stolen in the city from Jan. 1 to Oct. 19.

Smith said that while thieves sometimes target specific vehicles to steal, many cases are crimes of opportunity that can be prevented.

“Roughly half of the cars stolen in Austin have keys in them or are left running and unattended,” Smith said. “We really stress that people not leave vehicles running and unattended. Don’t leave keys in your car, lock your doors and hide your valuables.”