New York - NYPD's Bait Snags Thievest

New York Subways - The bait is a cheap handcart carrying groceries and $5 in a purse left on a subway platform.
Cops watch nearby, waiting for a would-be thief to snag the items.
It's a crafty ploy that netted 14 people in its first setup. But while authorities crow that among those nabbed are many serial criminals - including one man previously busted 57 times - critics blast it as everything from entrapment to a costly example of wasted police manpower.
Officials said those busted in Operation Lucky Bag face raps of petit larceny and possession of stolen property, both misdemeanors. They already had a total of 146 prior busts on their criminal records, including grand larcenies, robberies and the attempted murder of a cop.

But prominent criminal lawyer Gerald Lefcourt said the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that police cannot induce someone to commit a crime unless they have prior knowledge that that person is likely to commit a crime.
"I don't think the government ought to be spending taxpayers' money to induce citizens to commit crimes. There's plenty of things for them to do without doing that," Lefcourt said.
One police source disgruntled with the program also blasted it a waste of manpower.
The source said there were 10 cops — one sergeant and nine officers — involved in the Jamaica sting that nailed Myers and no other perps during a three-hour surveillance.
The source suggested that Lucky Bag was cooked up by recently promoted police Transit Chief James Hall to boost his division's arrest numbers. "You don't get promoted through the ranks unless your numbers are better than the other guy's," the source said.
An NYPD spokesman denied the claim.