The hunter has become the hunted.
The University’s Department of Public Safety announced a program Tuesday that will use a bicycle equipped with GPS as bait in an effort to catch potential thieves and discourage campus crime.
The program will utilize CatchAThief, a matchbox-sized GPS device attached to a DPS bicycle. If the bicycle moves outside of a certain zone, officials will receive an immediate text message or email alert.
Police can then monitor the device’s real-time movement through an online system.
DPS purchased the device for $150 and will pay an additional $30 per month for its use, according to a departmental press release.
N.C. State University police reported a 92 percent decrease in bicycle larcenies after they began using the GPS system, according to the release.
Randy Young, spokesman for DPS, said he hopes the device will help catch and deter bike thieves as word of its use spreads.
“We don’t anticipate it will curb every larceny on campus, but obviously bikes are something that this technology lends itself to,” Young said.
And the department might not stop at bicycles.
“We will also continue to investigate how this technology can be used to track other items that could be stolen on campus,” Young said.