News Coverage

Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General

VICTORIA – British Columbia is the first province in Canada to use a new crime-fighting technology, Automatic Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR), to target both traffic violators and stolen vehicles, Solicitor General John Les announced today. “We are taking back B.C. roads with this phenomenal technology,” said Les. “We’re targeting car thieves and prohibited drivers by using interactive, high-tech solutions, combined with criminal analysis techniques. It’s all part of the future of policing in B.C.”

ALPR is a camera and computer database system. Police are assisted by cameras mounted in their cars that capture images of licence plates on vehicles on public highways. The ALPR system reads the licence plate and instantly compares it against the data base in the onboard computer. The data base includes information associated with stolen vehicles and uninsured, unlicensed and prohibited drivers.

The data collected onboard is transferred daily to a secure server at the RCMP Federal Operations Building. If the license plate does not show a violation, the image will be automatically purged from the computer system after three months. If the licence plate shows a violation, the image is retained by police for two years as required by federal law.

IMPACT falls under federal privacy laws and the federal privacy commissioner has reviewed the technology. The provincial privacy commissioner has also been briefed on the ALPR project. The Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) ran a short-term pilot project where several ALPR-equipped police vehicles tested the equipment in order to gather baseline data. Police are working with the International Centre for Urban Research Studies (ICURS) at Simon Fraser University and the University College of the Fraser Valley who are providing data analysis for the project.

“Early results of the pilot project are amazing,” said Les. “In one hour, a police vehicle captured images of 600 plates and on average got one hit for every 60 plates.”

Les added that nine per cent of those hits were associated with a stolen vehicle, 7 per cent associated to a prohibited driver, 25 per cent of the hits were associated with an unlicensed or uninsured vehicle and 59 per cent of hits were associated with an unlicensed driver. RCMP Assistant Commissioner Gary Bass says the operational stage of the pilot study begins this week. ALPR units are being deployed throughout the Lower Mainland in strategic locations based on crime analysis trends.

The ALPR equipped vehicles are working with police resources from IMPACT, the Integrated Road Safety Units, the Lower Mainland Traffic Division, and other police agencies.

“Stolen vehicles and unsafe drivers identified by ALPR units will be targeted and when appropriate, charges will be recommended,” said Bass.

Air One, B.C.’s first dedicated, fully equipped traffic safety helicopter, which was purchased by government with funding from ICBC, will play a significant role in the apprehension of violators identified by ALPR. Air One can carry out air surveillance and track the vehicle to a safe location where ground units can apprehend.

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Media Contact

Cindy Rose
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
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BaitCar.com was profiled by Jacki Schechner - CNN's internet reporter - on Wolf Blitzer's "The Situation Room".

For the past seven years, Vancouver Police Constable Howard Rutter has worked with a very loyal partner, Police Service Dog (Badge #9755) Nitro. A bond existed between the two partners built on mutual trust and respect, and the knowledge that they would always look out for one another. It was a bond so strong and lasting that only death could break it. "He was not only my partner, he was my best friend," Cst. Rutter points out. Sadly, on the night of January 23, 2006, Nitro died in the line of duty, doing what he always did best, catching the bad guy.

If the bond between Cst. Rutter and Nitro was no ordinary bond because Nitro was no ordinary dog. Born in Monroe, Washington in 1997, this purebred German Shepherd came to the department as a puppy without a name. His handlers decided to appeal to the children of Vancouver to help them name this newest member of the department. It was the first time the public was asked to participate and the response was immediate and impressive. More than 2,000 children sent in suggested names. Soon, PSD 9755 would be known as "Nitro".

While police dogs are normally trained to bring down a suspect by clamping on his arm, Nitro, being tenacious and unwilling to let a suspect escape, would sometimes take the target closest to him... an ankle. It was a technique that was very effective, as hundreds of criminals over his career could testify. There were also plans recently to make Nitro better known among the public. He and his partner have been featured in advertising posters designed to combat car theft in a campaign sponsored by the Insurance Corporation of B.C. It is a fitting, if unplanned, tribute to a valuable member of the VPD. Nitro became a full-fledged police dog in 1999 and began a career distinguished by his hard work and bravery.

Throughout his career he would also be the constant companion of his only partner, Constable Howard Rutter. "We spent all shift with each other and when I went home he came with me. When I went to the store he came with me, I mean we did absolutely everything together... to say I’m going to miss him doesn’t begin to describe my feelings." Together they were a hard team to beat. Many calls over the years were like the one in October 2002, when they were called to the 3600 block of Trinity Street because four males were breaking into cars. When they arrived the trail was already 20 minutes cold.

Nitro put his nose to the ground and started to track. City block after city block he followed the trail. Twelve blocks later he found them breaking into another car. They ran when they saw the dog, but Nitro gave chase and clamped onto a suspect who dragged him for another block. Nitro never let go until the suspect was safely in custody. Like all great partnerships, things didn’t always run smoothly. "There were so many times that I would be frustrated with Nitro and get mad at him, but all it took was him coming over and licking my face and all would be well again." But on the night of January 23, tragedy would strike and all would never be well again.

Shortly after 10 p.m., Rutter and Nitro were heading towards a stolen car that was being followed by police into New Westminster. New Westminster police were notified and tried to stop this car with spike belts, but the driver was able to manoeuvre around it. Rutter and Nitro were directly behind the stolen car when it came up to a train that was stopped on Front Street blocking it from going through. The car thieves then tried to get away on foot. Cst. Rutter grabbed Nitro and sent him on these two. One of the suspects jumped up onto a box car with Nitro in hot pursuit. Nitro grabbed him by the leg and hung on, as he has done with other criminals hundreds of times before. This time, however, the unthinkable happened; the train started to move. Nitro was swept under the moving train and was killed immediately. Cst. Rutter watched helplessly as his partner was trapped under the train. There was nothing anyone could do for him.

The man Nitro had a hold of was able to run off. The area was contained and searched over and over again by police officers and a New Westminster dog handler. Some hours later, a 26 year old man came out of his hiding place in the water amongst the reeds and was taken into custody. But Cst. Rutter still faced a difficult task. "The toughest part was having to break the news to my daughter and son. They’ve both known Nitro just about all their lives and were so attached to him," said Cst. Rutter. The loss of Nitro was also a serious blow to the members of the Vancouver Police Department and especially to the dog handlers who regularly rely on their partners to protect their lives.

A loss made even sadder by the fact that Nitro was due to retire this year in June. "I always knew that when we were on any call, he would always be there watching my back." Nitro will join the honour roll of VPD members who over the years gave their lives so that others might live in safety, but for Constable Rutter the loss will always be more personal. "What a lot of people don’t realize when they see us working is that Nitro wasn’t just a member of the police department, he was a member of the family.

This is the story of Darren, a reformed car thief who agreed to an interview for baitcar.com after he was captured by an IMPACT bait car. Darren did not conduct this interview to build his own notoriety, in fact, the oposite is true. He did it educate the public about the true extent of the problem and to prevent other young people from making the same mistakes he did - namely, drug experimentation that lead to two addictions: crystal meth and car theft.

Darren first tried crystal meth when he was 15-years-old and by the age of 17 this destructive drug had a powerful hold on his life. He used the drug in the rave scene, but after he was taught how to steal cars by a meth trafficker, he began using them to transport stolen property from apartment storage locker break-ins, mail thefts, and theft from vehicles. Darren states that he has stolen hundreds of cars which in itself became a second addiction where he stole "for the rush".

Darren speaks freely about how crystal meth almost killed him when, after a meth binge that lasted for 12 straight days and nights without sleep, his throat became swollen shut and he required emergency hospitalization to save his life. He also described drug fuelled high-speed escapes from police in stolen cars where he almost struck innocent pedestrians, including a child beside a school. Darren is now 23-years-old, but he feels that the past eight years have been stolen from him - he was the "walking dead".

Darren's message is clear: crystal meth and car theft stole his life, and nearly stole the lives of innocent people. He spent the last two birthdays in jail, including the last two summers. His memory is severely compromised and he has trouble remembering simple events in his life. If you don't believe crystal meth is destructive, listen to what Darren has to say.

Darren's story is not unique. Virtually every suspect arrested by IMPACT investigators in a stolen car is in possession of crystal meth. Their stories are so similar they sound the same. They usually tried meth and were addicted faster than they thought possible. They began stealing cars as a way to transport them to the sites of other crimes where they would steal property to raise cash to buy more meth. It is a cycle that repeats itself day after day after day. The only way to stop the cycle is to seek help to free themselves from the meth addiction.

The IMPACT Bait Car program, the largest of its kind in North America, made international television news. IMPACT Bait Car videos were featured on ABC's Good Morning America, The National on CBC, and A Current Affair on Fox.