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Apple, NYPD working together to locate stolen iPhones, iPads
The New York Post is reporting that the New York Police Department has assigned a team of cops to work with Apple on facilitating the return of stolen iOS devices. The move is in response to widespread theft of popular iPhones and wireless-enabled iPads in the city. The policemen work with the victims or wireless carriers to determine what the IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) number of the device is, and then pass that information on to Apple. The company then responds to the NYPD with the current location of the device. Since the IMEI is part of a device's firmware, even stolen devices that have been activated on another wireless carrier's network can be tracked. Since WiFi-only devices do not have an IMEI, they cannot be located through this method. According to the Post article, a number of arrests have been made and devices have been recovered from as far away as the Dominican Republic. Many devices are bought second-hand by people unaware that they were stolen. Police have the right to confiscate those devices and return them to the original owners. The wireless industry will have its own database of stolen smartphones and tablets in late 2013 and is expected to provide automatic blacklisting of those devices. Until that database is implemented, New York residents can rely on the NYPD and Apple partnership. TUAW readers can easily keep track of their device IMEI by tapping on Settings > General > About, taking a screenshot of the display by holding down the Home button and then pressing the sleep/wake button, and then either printing that screenshot or uploading it to a cloud service like Evernote.
NYPD launches crime-reporting app for citizens
The New York Police Department has launched its first official app today. The NYPD app was designed to help facilitate the NYDP's mission to "enhance the quality of life in New York City by working in partnership with the community and in accordance with constitutional rights to enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear and provide for a safe environment." That app seems to fulfill that goal by leaps and bounds. Not only does it allow citizens to easily access crime statistics, see Most Wanted lists, get precinct information and view rewards for information about past crimes, it also lets users submit anonymous tips about crimes they have witnessed. The tip section asks users to enter the suspect's description including gender, race, appearance; the crime's description including what, where and when; and the vehicle description (if used) including make, model, color, year and license plate. It also allows you to choose a photo from your camera roll of take a photo right from the tip form. I'm sure some users may be concerned whether their tips are truly anonymous, but if the NYPD's app were sending data back to the police that could identify the user of the app it would not have made it through Apple's approval process. NYPD is a free download.
Microsoft, NYPD build new policing software, NYC takes 30 percent of the profit
Microsoft is releasing the Domain Awareness System, a software kit, designed with the NYPD, for law enforcement agencies. Pulling together data from CCTV Cameras, radiation detectors and license-plate readers, it uses a detailed database to give instant tracking when things take a turn for the worse. It's also taking some cues from the city's CompStat, using geographical patterns to help effectively deploy members of the 5-0 in areas statistically likely to suffer more crime. DAS is being marketed worldwide, with the city of New York taking a cut of 30 percent of the profit and a copy of any useful tweaks that are made in the field. We're just sad that none of the NYPD:Blue fans at Redmond decided to call the system Sipowi...ndows (geddit?).
NYPD begins testing long-distance gun detector as alternative to physical searches
As part of its ongoing effort to keep New York City safe, the NYPD has begun testing a new scanning device capable of detecting concealed firearms from a distance of about 16 feet. Developed in conjunction with the Department of Defense, the technology uses terahertz imaging detection to measure the radiation that humans naturally emit, and determine whether the flow of this radiation is impeded by a foreign object -- in this case, a gun. During a speech Tuesday, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the device shows "a great deal of promise as a way of detecting weapons without a physical search." Kelly went on to say that the technology would only be deployed under "reasonably suspicious circumstances," though some civil liberties activists are already expressing concerns. "We find this proposal both intriguing and worrisome," New York Civil Liberties Union executive director Donna Lieberman said in a statement, adding that the scanner could all too easily infringe upon civilian privacy. "If the NYPD is moving forward with this, the public needs more information about this technology, how it works and the dangers it presents." For now, the NYPD is only testing the device at a shooting range in the Bronx, and has yet to offer a timeline for its potential deployment.
Daily Update for December 20, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
NYPD makes many arrests in iPhone/iPad sting operation
The New York Police Department ran an undercover sting operation recently on vendors and businesses accused of selling stolen iPads and iPhones, and came up with a whopping 141 arrests. That's a pretty crazy bust -- apparently undercover officers actually went out to businesses with iPhone 4s and iPad 2s that they claim were stolen, and when the business owners agreed to buy them, they swooped in for the arrests. The businesses were previously suspected of selling stolen merchandise, however -- I am not a lawyer, but just sending cops in to try and sell stolen goods seems like entrapment to me. Not all of the arrests were necessarily of the businesses' owners; it's possible that the cops used information given to make other arrests as well. But that's a nice swath of (alleged) criminals to pick up. Apple's devices make for quite a gray and black market around the world, and it's good to see that the NYPD is cracking down on these stolen items.
NYPD creates social networking unit to pick perps, not poke them
You've heard of the Special Victims Unit, but what about the Social Networking Unit? The time has come for criminals dumb enough to boast about their exploits on Facebook and Twitter to pay the proverbial piper. According to NY Daily News, the Big Apple's newly minted Assistant Commissioner, Kevin O'Connor, will enlist the department's juvenile justice unit to hunt down ne'er-do-wells on various social networking sites. So remember, even if your friends don't care about the Cookie Puss you just posted to your Facebook page, somewhere out there someone is watching.
Chevy Volts invade NYC police fleet, give cops all new ways to taze bros
New York's boys in blue will soon be able to creep up on evildoers with even more subtlety, thanks to some new electrified vehicles the city unveiled yesterday. As part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's environmentally-friendly PlaNYC initiative, 70 new EVs have been added to the city's fleet of public cars, in the hopes of lowering emissions and creating a "greener, greater New York City." Joining the force are ten Ford Transit Connect cargo vans, ten Navi-star E-star trucks and a full 50 Chevy Volts -- some of which will be used as NYPD squad cars. These newcomers will be shared among nine different departments, joining 360 other city plug-ins already purring their way across the five boroughs. Bloomberg is also working toward adding EVs to New York's army of 13,000 taxis -- which we're totally cool with, as long as they're not minivans. Zip past the break for a rather Homeric press release.
Subway riders subject to iPhone thefts
The WSJ's Andrew Grossman reports (subscription required) that New York City's subway riders may be a bit too openhanded with their digital devices. According to NYPD statistics, grand larceny* incidents on the subway were up 18 percent year-over-year from January to March of 2011 (311 reports in total). Transit police brass attribute the spike in pilferage to increased theft of smartphones, and of course, the most popular choice for thieves is the iPhone 4. The article quotes NYPD transit chief Raymond Diaz on the increase: "We've been seeing an incredible trend of young people snatching these cellphones." Diaz also noted that thefts are likelier during the evening rush hour, and that several train lines (Manhattan's Lexington Avenue lines, Brooklyn's J and L trains, and Queens' M, R and 7 lines) seem to be 'hot spots' for thefts. The city's commuter rail lines have also seen a mild spike in thefts. While subway crime in New York remains at an extremely low level compared to historical norms, there are a few tips that Chief Diaz suggests to keep that ride trouble-free. Don't stand near the train doors while using your phone since that would streamline a thief's getaway; be sure to record your iPhone and iPad serial number in your personal records; and, of course, if you have Find My iPhone turned on, you might even get your device back. Police efforts to track down phone-grabbing perps meet with some success; they make arrests in 30 percent of incidents of phones being swiped from owners' hands, and in 56 percent of incidents where force was used in a phone robbery. * While the New York State legal definition of 'grand larceny' is generally perceived to cover property worth $1,000 or more (which is pricier than an iPhone or iPad, unless it's in a very nice case), the definition also applies to about 12 other conditions (i.e., if the theft involves secret scientific formulas, credit cards, cars, guns, religious items, phone phreaking gear or ammonia for making meth), including when the property in question is taken directly from the person who owns it, rather than stolen from an apartment or office when the owner is not present. These subway thefts match that part of the grand larceny law, making them a class E felony. Thanks to our friend in the NYC district attorney's office for clarifying the rules.
NYC keeps ahead of the curve, invests $1 million into typewriters
When we look upon the typewriter, we tend to think of it as a somewhat romantic, antiquated technology for the English major in us to write that great mystery novel we've been toying with -- not something we'd imagine anyone would still be using in a professional setting. Unfortunately for New York's boys in blue, that's exactly the situation they find themselves in. According to NY Post, the city has plunked down $982,269 in a contract with New Jersey-based Swintec to provide thousands of new manual electric typewriters bound for NYPD offices over the next three years, with another $99,570 going to a company for maintaining the current lineup. While arrest reports have thankfully gone the way of computers, property and evidence vouchers continue to be written up out the old fashioned way, with officers complaining about having to seek out ribbons when they (often) run dry. In some way, it's kind of funny... but mostly, it's just sad.[Via Yahoo! Tech]
NYPD implores citizens to submit photo and video evidence
Tired of the fuzz body-checking you right off your bike during Critical Mass rides? Well lucky you, New York Police Commish Ray Kelly is responding by flipping the switch on user-generated crime reports, enabling ordinary citizens to submit photos and video as evidence of criminal activity. Granted, we think it's always been the case that people could dial-a-detective if they've got a hot lead on a crime, but here Kelly specifically referred to the "fact of life" that nowadays "everybody has a camera in their telephones. When people can record an event taking place that helps us during an investigation, it's helpful." Details are not yet clear, like how much manpower it's going to take to weed through the billions of tattle-tale clips that will inevitably be sent in of Sbux line-cutters, or what codecs the NYPD will support (fingers crossed for motion-JPEG and 3GPP).[Via The Raw Feed]
NYPD to trial all-electric scooters next month
New York's finest will also be some of New York's greenest next month, when the NYPD begins field testing four all-electric scooters from Rhode Island-based Vectrix USA. Although twice as expensive as the gas-powered Piaggio scooters that the department currently uses -- and with a fraction of their range -- the Vectrix offers police three attractive benefits: reduced fuel costs, lowered vehicle emissions, and, more practically, the element of surprise -- the scooters' nearly-silent engines should allow two-wheeled cops to approach suspects with more discretion. Sounds like a winner to us, as long as officers don't try pulling some eminent domain crap on our outlet at Starbucks when they need to juice up.[Via Autoblog Green]
NYPD marking iPods, phones to aid in theft recovery
Myth or not, the story that muggers are specifically targeting folks with iPods has gotten a fair amount of press since it was first reported, and has convinced at least one police department to make a rather half-hearted attempt at returning peace of mind to the city's subway commuters. For the past three months, New York City cops have been offering iPod and other portable device owners a way to "register" their gear -- wherein the officers mark your hardware with invisible ink and copy down the serial number -- in order to provide victims with a slim but tangible chance of recovery. The two-pronged approach ensures that even if thieves figure out a way to wash off the ink. which is only visible under infrared lighting, they may not be wise enough to file off the serial numbers as well. So far, over 2,000 gadgets have been marked at Transit Bureau offices and tables located around the subway system, although the program has yet to help any victims recover their stolen goods, so it's probably not a bad idea to continue sporting your Thomas Pink tie.[Via NY1, thanks Leon F]
Apple's 5th avenue store elevator gets stuck
Not all visitors of the NYC 5th Avenue Apple Store are having the retail experience of their lives, as one group of customers were trapped in the glass elevator for 45 minutes. Ultimately, the hydraulic lines had to be leaked in order to lower the elevator down to the store where the NYPD had to pry the doors open. Store employees who were looking for a fix before the boys in blue arrived were able to lower water bottles down into the elevator.I wonder if this is what happens when you leave the Apple Store without purchasing anything?[via UNEASYsilence. Thanks also to everyone who sent this in!]
NYC police warn of cellphone guns
We've been seeing warnings about guns disguised as cellphones for so long that we long assumed the weapons were urban legends akin to the stories about telemarketers building a database of cellphone numbers and Bill Gates sharing his fortune. Turns out, however, that the guns do indeed exist, and apparently originated in Europe around 2000. And now, according to the New York Police Department, they may be making their way across the Atlantic. According to the New York Post, The NYPD has issued a warning about the hidden weapons, and has circulated a description of them to station houses. There's no word that any of the weapons have actually been seen in NYC, but police are being told to be on the lookout for them at locations such as courthouses. So, if you're heading downtown for jury duty and don't want to endure getting your brand new Walkman phone taken apart because it looks suspicious, you may want to just leave it at home. Oh, and Bill, we're still waiting for our check.
