Hey, people who leave their bags unattended in Central Park—the cops are looking out for you! According to the NYPD, Operation Lucky Bag has resulted in 34 arrests in Central Park since the beginning of March. "Lucky Bag" is an NYPD practice of leaving an unattended bag full of valuables in a public place, with the hopes that it will tempt criminals into stealing the items. Police wait to see if someone grabs the bag and attempts to take the cash or whatever else is stashed inside, and if they do, they arrest the person and charge them with petit larceny.

NYPD's stats (PDF) show that crime in Central Park is down almost 41 percent compared to last year, so Lucky Bag must be working, right? Well, maybe. The stats for petit larceny are actually up about 188 percent. In 2010 there were only 17 arrests, but so far this year there have been 47. So either there are suddenly a lot more criminals prowling Central Park looking for a new iPhone, or Lucky Bag has actually backfired by increasing crime stats with its entrapment-like methods.

Grace Meng, a state Assemblywoman, thinks it's the latter. Just last month she announced that she would be introducing a bill that would ban the practice completely. She told the Daily News that Lucky Bag will deter New Yorkers from the "If You See Something, Say Something" mantra. "When the NYPD employs this kind of practice throughout the city, it's a complete deterrent to what we're trying to do," she said.

In light of the latest Lucky Bag statistics, Gothamist has reached out to Meng, and she responded without much surprise. "It's been happening a lot, especially in parks, and it's a complete entrapment issue," she said. Meng explained that her bill is still in committee right now, and added that she's optimistic it won't need to be passed. "There's always a chance that they [NYPD] will revoke the practice themselves," she added.

In the meantime, if you happen to stumble upon a bag in Central Park, here's what you should do: Look at it, ponder it, maybe say something catty to your friend about how the bag is so last year (the NYPD is busy with cyclists in the parks), but don't you dare get involved in finding the rightful owner.