Police at UNC-Chapel Hill are now using a GPS to track stolen bicycles on campus. Under the strategy implemented this week, officers plant a tracking device on a so-called "bait bike," and then follow the signal if it leaves a certain boundary. Police at N-C State started using the device last November. Deputy chief Jon Barnwell says his department started seeing immediate results.
Jon Barnwell: "We have actually made several arrests involving individuals attempting to take our bait bike, but the biggest asset is the fact that word of mouth has spread about us having the GPS. I think it's safe to say it's cut our bike theft in half, if not more."
Barnwell says larceny is the most common crime reported on college campuses. He says N.C. State plans to start hiding the same device on a laptop to cut down on computer thefts.
