In the same way that Las Vegas Metropolitan Police conduct drug stings and prostitution stings, they also carry out bait purse stings. A bait purse sting is when law enforcement plants a purse or other valuable item in public places--usually casinos--in an effort to trap would-be thieves. The purse (bait) often contains several hundred dollars in cash, and the bait is almost always placed in an area under video surveillance. If someone comes across one of these bait items in Nevada, it is a crime to take it for him/herself without reasonable efforts to notify the true owner. And in casinos, the best way to notify the owner is to turn the property over to security.