New York Has A Team Of Cops Dedicated To Recovering Stolen Apple Devices

By

NYPD

Apple devices are a popular target for the thieves of New York, so much so that the NYPD now has a team of cops dedicated to recovering stolen iPhones and iPads, according to the New York Post. Every time an Apple device is stolen, detectives work with the Cupertino company to identify their location and then recover them.

The NYPD acquired the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) number assigned to devices with a 3G and 4G capabilities — including the iPhone and the iPad — from the victim, then passes it on to Apple. Apple can then provide the NYPD with a location for the device.

The NYPD caught one thief trying to sell a stolen iPad on a city bus — thanks to information provided by Apple.

“We staked out the bus stop, ID’d the suspect and arrested him. We recovered the iPad,” said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne, who revealed that 74% of all stolen Apple devices resurface within the five boroughs of New York. But not all devices turn up there.

In another case, the NYPD tracked an iPad that had made its way to the Dominican Public, then returned it to its owner with the help of an intelligence cop stationed in Santo Domingo.

“We’re looking for ways to find individuals who have stolen Apple products and return the products to their original owners,” said Browne. “It is being done to learn the pattern who is stealing.”

Many of the Apple devices that the NYPD recover are no longer in the hands of the thieves who take them; they have already been sold onto people via the second-hand market who were unaware that they were stolen. But even in these cases, the devices are returned to their owner.

This is great news for the residents of New York who choose to use Apple devices, but what about those who use other devices?

Source: New York Post

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