Sandy Springs Police Use Decoys To Catch Would-Be Burglars

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — In an effort to combat the rising trend of car break in’s and theft, the Sandy Springs Police Department began deploying a bait car containing devices equipped with GPS tracking devices. When moved, the devices activate and notify officers that a theft has occurred.

On Dec. 17, Sandy Springs Police officers were notified of an entering auto in progress in the area of River Vista Drive around 8 p.m. Officers arrived and saw a black Dodge Challenger leave the location. One of the items that was taken had a GPS tracking device in it. Officers were able to monitor the location of the vehicle and tracked it to an address on Conley Road in Clayton County. The stolen Challenger was recovered at that location.

The GPS device continued to move and officers further tracked it to an address on Forest Park Road in the city of Atlanta. Atlanta Police was notified and responded to the location. The North Metro SWAT team was activated and entered the house. Inside they located Jiquial Green, 18, of Atlanta.

He was taken into custody without further incident. He is currently charged with obstruction and was transported to the Fulton County Jail.

A second vehicle at the location was impounded and several laptop computers and tablets were located in the vehicle. Detectives are contacting the owners at this time to return their property to them.

The Sandy Springs Police Department is grateful for the donation of the bait car by a major insurance company. By using this technology, officers are able to track suspects without engaging in high speed pursuits that put officers and the public in danger. Police will continue to deploy the car, track suspects and recover stolen property.