AfterDawn: Tech news

NYPD creates dedicated team to catch iPhone, iPad thieves

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Feb 2013 10:18 User comments (4)

NYPD creates dedicated team to catch iPhone, iPad thieves The theft of Apple portable devices has become so widespread in New York City that the NYPD has created a dedicated team to catch the thieves.
All Apple devices, when stolen, are tracked by the police and Apple, who can usually track the location of the device thanks to its IMEI.

"We're looking for ways to find individuals who have stolen Apple products and return the products to their original owners," said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne (via NYP). "It is being done to learn the pattern who is stealing."

Just recently, an iPad was tracked as far as the Dominican Republic and recovered. 74 percent of devices are found within New York City, however, says the police.

With the new dedicated team, the NYPD hopes to recover even more of the devices.

Previous Next  

4 user comments

122.2.2013 23:01

I feel safer already, what a great use of manpower. No one actually believes the NYPD is doing this strictly to "return products to their original owners," do they? They will use this as a tool to kick in some doors maybe they weren't able to get into and do a legal search before.
A dedicated team to track down apple products, really? What a joke.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 22 Feb 2013 @ 11:02

224.2.2013 00:17

I guess other smartphones and tablets don't get stolen either. Just apple products what a fucking joke

324.2.2013 23:24

@Stuntman_: exactly! "Let's make an apple police force, they'll wear white uniforms and shoot on suspicion, it's gonna be great!" but seriously, ONLY apple products?

425.2.2013 03:12

Quoting stuntman: "I guess other smartphones and tablets don't get stolen either. Just apple products what a fucking joke."

Apple products like the iphone and ipad are usually priced above $500 replacement value, making theft of them a felony, no longer petty theft.


I guess the point I was making is that creating a dedicated team for this type of theft, because the devices are traceable, is a smokescreen for something more. I predict a lot more bogus search warrants will be issued because of this "dedicated" team.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 25 Feb 2013 @ 3:21

Comments have been disabled for this article.

Latest news

VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads (16 Mar 2024 4:31)
VLC Media Player, the versatile video-software powerhouse, has achieved a remarkable feat: it has been downloaded over 5 billion times.
1 user comment
Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit (19 Dec 2023 11:09)
Google settled its lawsuit in September 2023, and one of the settlement terms was that the way applications are installed on Android from outside the Google Play Store must become simpler. In the future, installing APK files will be easier.
7 user comments
Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets (06 Jun 2023 9:19)
Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations (02 May 2023 3:38)
Neato Robotics has ceased its operations. American robot vacuum pioneer founded in 2005 has finally called it quits and company will cease its operations and sales. Only a skeleton crew will remain who will keep the servers running until 2028.
5 user comments
How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp (20 Mar 2023 1:25)
The world's most popular messaging platform, Meta-owned WhatsApp has enabled sending messages to yourself. While at first, this might seem like an odd feature, it can be very useful in a lot of situations. ....
18 user comments

News archive