Queens Pol: Operation Lucky Bag Sucks, Should Be Banned

Don't even think about returning this to its rightful owner. Via Jessica Meany's Flickr

Police stings are great because they're easy to set up (just stand by a subway emergency exit!), guaranteed to work, and almost always nab New York's hardest psychopaths. But state assemblywoman Grace Meng is tired of fielding complaints from her criminal constituents and is trying to ban one sting in particular: Operation Lucky Bag. "This practice by the NYPD just discourages people from seeing something and saying something. It also discourages people from being Good Samaritans," Meng tells the Daily News.

Lucky Bag involves police leaving a "bag in a public location filled with valuables such as an iPod or cash," so when someone picks it up, BINGO! Summons! They'll make their quotas in no time. However given that the law states that people have 10 days to return lost property to its owners or the police department, a civil liberties attorney says people who are caught in the sting should "pursue a lawsuit for false arrest. The program is unjust and it should be discontinued." Yeah but who do you return a baby alligator to? That has "Billy's 10th Birthday" written all over it!

Meng's bill would "prohibit enticement to possess stolen property," which to us sounds like a ban on bike stings as well as those lethal hipster and bridge and tunnel traps. Sure, there have been some hiccups regarding lawsuits, and Lucky Bag has been suspended before, but when will New Yorkers wake up and realize how effective these stings really are? Maybe we could have caught Bin Laden years ago if we had left a bag full of porn and Viagra outside his cave!

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By Christopher Robbins in News on May 18, 2011 5:24 PM

Comments [rss]

GregJG

I would like to know what neighborhood these unlawful stings are taking place in.

Fofofofofo

What if I kick the bag along the platform? Technically I'm not taking the bag.

soxinthecity

So much for see something, say something. Next time I see a bag laying around, I'm ignoring it. I don't need to spend the weekend with DSK on Rikers.

proudliberal1947

Ka Ching, KA Ching, one more recommendation. it should take three of you traveling in a group. now one sites the bag the other two drop back, the second person starts recording the third stands bye ready to call 9-11 0r the police number in the area, as soon as the cops walk up keep recording it is entrapment, walk up to the cop hand him you phone of course Mr. super baddy is going to brush you off, take it in stride, make sure he or she knows it was the local cops on the phone. now first get a LAWYER, KA CHING, then go to the Media, KA CHING, now push that the cop GETS FIRED, KA CHING. Enough of these suits turn up the Idiots in Blue will get the message, oh the justification of filming is you are taking Pictures of you and your Friends, the Key Stone Cops came on to YOU.

Fofofofofo

Wait. What?

purp

cool story bro

imadick

cool comment bro

proudliberal1947

Hey what do you want look at the ASS WIPE you have for leadership. nuff said.

Chicken Underwear

If this is not entrapment, what is?

OriginalSinner

This is terrible. I am the type that would (and has) return lost property. So if I found a purse or something, picked it up to bring to the token booth, uh I mean information booth I could get ticketed? Bullshit.

Emmily_Litella

What bullshit. Is a newspaper considered someone's 'forgotten property'? What if its a book? How about a bag full of old textbooks? The law IS an ass.

Guest

Yes it is but the brass at NYPD are the biggest asses of all.

Trustafarian

how is this not entrapment?

Tony Borelli

It's worse than entrapment. Entrapment concludes with an act that's ordinarily criminal; picking up a lost bag and thinking about where to turn it in to authorities isn't.

jaycjay

Yep. Of course, there are some who actually clearly do intend to keep what they've found, like the guy in the Daily News article who was arrested after he took the cash out of a wallet that is in a purse that the cops had left as bait. He left with just the cash; he obviously wasn't trying to figure out how to return it.

Trustafarian

It's still shitty, and doesn't really seem like the best use of police resources.

Creating situations where people may or may not break the law is all fine and dandy if there is no real crime occurring elsewhere. But I don't think this is the case.

gothamcity

Great, I typically try to grab shit I find to return it...especially cell phones. So essentially if I find a bag with a cell phone I should ignore it and hope the person who does pick it up intends on returning it?