Sentence:  "I would like to first of all commend all of the police officers today. . . . They were in fact at various times provoked, and they didn't <WSD>take the bait</WSD> in any way, shape or form." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To be lured by an offer, flattery, or a provocation into doing something, especially something disadvantageous or dubious.