Nevada's Supreme Court, which banned use of police decoys who pose as drunks with cash hanging from their pockets, says it's OK if the decoy is alert, well-dressed and more of a ``logical target'' for thieves. The high court Thursday rejected an appeal from Vincent DePasquale, convicted in Las Vegas of larceny after a police decoy operation in 1983. A plainclothes policewoman was used as a decoy, carrying a shoulder bag in which a fake $100 bill was exposed, a zipper pulled tight against the money. DePasquale claimed entrapment. The Supreme Court said it has ruled against use of decoys when they pose as anyone who is helpless, drunk or feigning unconsciousness with money exposed temptingly from pockets. That ``degree of vulnerability'' suggested entrapment, or inducing someone to commit a crime he might not otherwise commit, the court said. In the DePasquale case, however, ``the exposed valuables were presented in a realistic situation, an alert and well-dressed woman walking on the open sidewalks in the casino area,'' the court said. ``The fact that the money was exposed simply presented a generally identified social predator with a logical target,'' the court added. ``These facts suggest that DePasquale was predisposed to commit this crime.''
