What are your thoughts about police sting operations for misdemeanor offenses? (details inside)

Our local university has a program they call “Bait Bikes”. They set unattended, unlocked bicycles around the campus. These bikes are equipped with GPS trackers that allow them to trace the location of the bike in real time. The idea is to get people to steal the bikes and then arrest them for the crime. Arrest usually results in minimal jail time and a several hundred dollar fine.

I have no sympathy for the people who get caught stealing what does not belong to them and they get what they deserve but there is something about the set-up that does not sit right with my moral compass.

What are your thoughts on this process?