NYPD's Plan to Catch Drug Thieves: 'Bait Bottles'

How to fight the theft of prescription medications? New York City police have an idea: Stock pharmacies with fake pill bottles outfitted with GPS trackers. These "bait bottles," if stolen, could then help the NYPD zero in on suspects and their stashes of painkillers and other drugs, the AP reports. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly will unveil the plan today at a California health conference hosted by Bill Clinton's foundation.

Prescription drug abuse "can serve as a gateway to criminal activities, especially among young people," he says. "When pills become too expensive, addicts are known to resort to cheaper drugs such as heroin and cocaine. They turn to crime to support their habit." The growing black market for prescription drugs, and an associated increase in high-profile crimes related to the drugs, prompted the idea. NYPD officers will visit the roughly 6,000 pharmacies in the city, asking them to increase security and stock the "bait bottles." (More Raymond Kelly stories.)