NYC mayor blames increase in crime on demand for Apple products
Thefts of iPhones, iPads and iPods are accountable for an overall increase in crime in New York City, the Big Apple's mayor said in a recent interview.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show that overall crime in the city was skewed by the theft of Apple products, according to The New York Times. There were 3,484 more major crimes in 2012 than a year prior, but Apple product thefts alone were 3,890 greater than in 2011.
Bloomberg said that thieves in New York seem to show a preference for Apple products. He noted that mobile devices from Apple's competition, such as Samsung, were not included in the Apple-only figures.
The mayor advised that that citizens should keep their Apple products in an interior pocket, making the device harder to reach and also making it easier to tell if someone has reached in to steal it.
Bloomberg's press secretary, Marc La Vorgna, also said New York's overall crime figure was singlehandedly skewed by Apple: "If you just took away the jump in Apple, we'd be down for the year," he said.
In all, there were 108,432 major crimes in New York in 2012 through Monday. With just a few days left in the year, the figure represents a 3.3 percent increase from the 104,948 major crimes reported in all of 2011.
In September, a crime statistics report released by the New York Police Department revealed that Apple products accounted for 14 percent of all major crime in the city between Jan. 1 and Sept. 23 of this year. That was a 40 percent increase in stolen Apple products from the same period a year prior.
In response increases in stolen Apple products, the NYPD went hands on with crowds lined up for the launch of the iPhone 5 in September. Police offers encouraged customers to register their electronics in order to potentially recover them in the event of a theft.
The NYPD's "Anti-Apple Picking Campaign" is part of the NYPD's Operation ID, a free service in which officers register the serial number of a valuable device along with the owner's name and contact information.
"The theft of Apple phones and other handheld devices drove the spike in robberies in larceny this year," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said. "Individuals alert to their surroundings are less likely to become victims, and Operation ID will help those whose property is lost or stolen to get it back."
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show that overall crime in the city was skewed by the theft of Apple products, according to The New York Times. There were 3,484 more major crimes in 2012 than a year prior, but Apple product thefts alone were 3,890 greater than in 2011.
Bloomberg said that thieves in New York seem to show a preference for Apple products. He noted that mobile devices from Apple's competition, such as Samsung, were not included in the Apple-only figures.
The mayor advised that that citizens should keep their Apple products in an interior pocket, making the device harder to reach and also making it easier to tell if someone has reached in to steal it.
Bloomberg's press secretary, Marc La Vorgna, also said New York's overall crime figure was singlehandedly skewed by Apple: "If you just took away the jump in Apple, we'd be down for the year," he said.
In all, there were 108,432 major crimes in New York in 2012 through Monday. With just a few days left in the year, the figure represents a 3.3 percent increase from the 104,948 major crimes reported in all of 2011.
In September, a crime statistics report released by the New York Police Department revealed that Apple products accounted for 14 percent of all major crime in the city between Jan. 1 and Sept. 23 of this year. That was a 40 percent increase in stolen Apple products from the same period a year prior.
In response increases in stolen Apple products, the NYPD went hands on with crowds lined up for the launch of the iPhone 5 in September. Police offers encouraged customers to register their electronics in order to potentially recover them in the event of a theft.
The NYPD's "Anti-Apple Picking Campaign" is part of the NYPD's Operation ID, a free service in which officers register the serial number of a valuable device along with the owner's name and contact information.
"The theft of Apple phones and other handheld devices drove the spike in robberies in larceny this year," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said. "Individuals alert to their surroundings are less likely to become victims, and Operation ID will help those whose property is lost or stolen to get it back."
Comments
Maybe they should ban Apple products like they banned trans fats. Those solutions deal equally with the real problem (idiocy and HFCS, respectively).
The NYPD's "Anti-Apple Picking Campaign"
Great. Now the Anti-Apple Brigade has government funding and guns.
The increased crime rate is because people are mad they can't buy a big soda. Bloomberg is just scapegoating Apple
This could be a new business line for RIM. They can sell cases to make iPhones look like BlackBerrys so they don't get stolen.
The title here is a bit misleading. He does not sound like he is blaming Apple, more that he is reporting the facts on what is being stolen. Understand click bait, but that is going a bit far.
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Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Quote:
The NYPD's "Anti-Apple Picking Campaign"
This is just part of Bloomberg's and Kelly's attempt to turn NYC into a surveillance state. Why anyone would hand over information about their cell phone to the NYPD with their history of Civil Rights violations is beyond understanding.
Sounds similar to the list of top stolen cars - generally led by Honda Civic and or Accord - why? because there are a lot of them on the road - meaning they are not only available - but also the market for stripped parts is also large.
Originally Posted by paxman
I see a sales opportunity for cases and skins that make your iOS device look like an android device.
Or an '80s cassette walkman!
On second thought, someone might actually want the walkman.
[SIZE=2]PS: I hope they don't crack down on my black market Big Gulp sales. Dealers exchanging Kilos for Liters. Cops pushing that knife into a bag of cola syrup during a bust, tasting it with their pinky finger, and then stating it's 100% pure Coke.[/SIZE]
If they didn't ban the large sodas, the thugs would be too hefty to run. See? Bureaucracy at it's finest. Hurts only the innocent.
/s
Obama should just sign an executive order giving everyone free iPhones and Nike Air Jordan shoes. And some bacon to take home.
Hahahahahahahah
Maybe it's the 8.8% unemployment rate plus 1 million illegal aliens, and the fact that NYC is loaded with criminals who are armed... oh, wait, they can't be armed, that's illegal.
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Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Did he blame Apple products for the increase in crime or state that the theft of Apple products are popular in crime? These are very different things when it comes to blame.
PS: I hope they don't crack down on my black market Big Gulp sales. Dealers exchanging Kilos for Liters. Cops pushing that knife into a bag of cola syrup during a bust, tasting it with their pinky finger, and then stating it's 100% pure Coke.
Ironically, Big Gulps, sold at 7-Eleven, are not covered under the big soda ban. Only beverages sold at restaurants, mobile food carts, sports arenas and movie theaters are covered, so convenience stores/bodegas can sell whatever they want.
Next they plan to target hamburgers larger than 6 oz.
Quote:
Originally Posted by msimpson
Obama should just sign an executive order giving everyone free iPhones and Nike Air Jordan shoes. And some bacon to take home.
What kind of bacon?
I'm sure self-centeredness, morality, ethics, and an entitlement mentality have nothing to do with the rising crime rate. Our country is changing and it is not for the good.
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Originally Posted by anonymouse
What kind of bacon?
What kind of bacon!!!? C'mon, there's only one kind of real bacon (note my user tag). Now pour some maple syrup on that!