The Huffington Post confirms what we’ve been saying for over a year now. Cell phone thefts, often violent thefts, became a significant problem in 2013 and continue to be of concern to us, and law enforcement all over the country.
Castro Community On Patrol, Smart Phone Safety postcard
“Thefts of smartphones and other mobile devices increased in major cities nationwide in 2013, despite new efforts by law enforcement and the industry to reduce what has become an epidemic of often violent street crime, according to new police figures obtained by The Huffington Post,” notes the article posted on 01/15/2014.
Of nearly 2,400 phones stolen in San Francisco last year, more than half were Apple iPhones, contributing to the new theft slang “Apple picking.” That number represented a 23 percent rise from the year before, according to the SFPD.
CCOP continues to hand out informative postcards to anyone we see using a smart phone while we’re on patrol, encouraging them to be careful and providing some simple tips on avoiding thefts.
Read the full Huffington Post article.