Back in the late 1960’s, the NYPD organized their “Stakeout Unit” to deal with a wave of robberies. They would lay in wait at stores which were at high risk of being hit, and take out the robbers. They were very successful. Unfortunately, the number of robbers they put in the morgue caused the politicians to decide to disband them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tempcmb5hZU
I can just imagine the uproar if such a unit was used today.
Hill Street Blues did an episode with the cops staking out liquor stores.