Washington D.C. rolling out Apple AirTag program to help curb car theft

AppleInsider

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser launches a program offering AirTags to residents in car theft-prone neighborhoods, using Apple's Find My technology to help locate stolen vehicles.

Apple AirTag

The new program aims to reduce car theft in high-risk areas by distributing free Apple AirTags. They will be given out at three events, and residents must provide proof of residency and an eligible police service area address.

Mayor Bowser has encouraged all Washingtonians to consider purchasing their own AirTags, as they typically cost around $30, as reported by DCist, spotted by 9to5Mac.

Although the Acting police chief, Pamela Smith, did not mention the number of AirTags to be distributed, the inspiration for this program came from New York City Mayor Eric Adams. He led a similar initiative earlier in the year, distributing 500 AirTags and effectively locating stolen vehicles.

During the distribution events, D.C. police officers will assist residents in installing and registering the tags on their phones. The AirTag's location will not be accessible to the police; instead, residents will have to share the information from Find My with law enforcement if their car is stolen.

This initiative is the latest in a series of anti-theft and theft-prevention measures taken by the city, as motor vehicle theft has surged by 101% compared to the previous year. D.C. has recorded over 5,800 motor vehicle thefts as of November 1, prompting innovative efforts to combat the issue. While the AirTags may not prevent theft, they are expected to increase the chances of solving cases and apprehending repeat offenders involved in criminal activities.

While AirTags have been use to track vehicles in places like New York City, not all law enforcement agrees that this is the best possible solution. Law enforcement in San Antonio is advising against using AirTags to track stolen vehicles, as victims may be tempted to confront thieves at their location, resulting in dangerous situations.

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eightzero

Idea: provide AirTag location of a stolen vehicle to the insurance company. WCGW?

sflocal

Locating a stolen vehicle via AirTags is only part of the solution.  Actually arresting, convicting, and getting the thief locked-away is what needs to happen and to send a message to future would-be thieves.

Calvin_Hobbes

sflocal said:

Locating a stolen vehicle via AirTags is only part of the solution.  Actually arresting, convicting, and getting the thief locked-away is what needs to happen and to send a message to future would-be thieves.

I love the concept!! However, that would mean treating the cause, not the symptom. That's not how we do it in America.

slow n easy

Yeah but the thieves will get a message on their phone informing them of the AirTag following them, so they would likely find and get rid of it.

Xed

slow n easy said:

Yeah but the thieves will get a message on their phone informing them of the AirTag following them, so they would likely find and get rid of it.

Right? They could use a tracker that doesn't show up on iOS and Android device.

S8ER95Z

slow n easy said:

Yeah but the thieves will get a message on their phone informing them of the AirTag following them, so they would likely find and get rid of it.

Exactly! AirTags are awful for this use case… not only do they self report their presence after a very short period of time but the thief can play a sound to easily locate then discard them.  

Alex_V

Calvin_Hobbes said:

sflocal said:

Locating a stolen vehicle via AirTags is only part of the solution.  Actually arresting, convicting, and getting the thief locked-away is what needs to happen and to send a message to future would-be thieves.

I love the concept!! However, that would mean treating the cause, not the symptom. That's not how we do it in America.

“Treating the cause, not the symptom.” Unintentionally hilarious. Your country is world champion at ‘treating the cause’ with the largest population of convicts (irony intended). Here you go:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_incarceration_rate

US incarceration rate is 531 people per 100,000, sixth highest in the world and keeping company with some pretty dysfunctional states:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate

“In comparison to countries with similar percentages of immigrants, Germany has an incarceration rate of 67 per 100,000 population (as of June 2022), Italy is 97 per 100,000 (as of November 2022).”