Motorists in New York will be given free Apple AirTag to reduce the rate of car theft
'01.05.2023'
Nadezhda Verbitskaya
Car theft is very common in New York, so the mayor's office decided to distribute free Apple AirTags tracking devices to residents. Mayor Eric Adams announced this on April 30, reports New York Post.
The mayor said that 500 of these devices, donated to the city by the local nonprofit Association for Better New York (ABNY), will be distributed to New Yorkers. Including the 43rd police station in the Bronx, which suffers the most from thefts.
“A simple AirTag hidden in a car is a great tracking device,” said Adams. "It's easy to control and you can see where the car is in real time."
Video posted by the NYPD later that day, showed how AirTag was helping police track down a stolen vehicle. Police officers also urged motorists to buy devices on their own and hide them in their cars.
The 21st century calls for 21st century policing. AirTags in your car will help us recover your vehicle if it's stolen. We'll use our drones, our StarChase technology & good old fashion police work to safely recover your stolen car. Help us help you, get an AirTag. #GSD pic.twitter.com/fTfk8p4lye
— NYPD Chief of Department (@NYPDChiefOfDept) April 30, 2023
The mayor's office said the NYPD Crime Prevention Unit is working on a plan to distribute donated AirTags fairly. The city will also raise money to purchase more devices.
The number of car thefts in New York is on the rise
From January 1 to April 23 this year, 4 cars were stolen in New York. In 492, there were 2022 thefts during this period. In January, scammers even stole an NYPD patrol car.
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On the territory of the 43rd police station, 207 cars were stolen this year. This is more than any other area in the city.
“Many of us remember the times when car theft was an epidemic in our city. They remember how worried we were when we parked our cars and were afraid to leave anything of value in them,” said ABNY Chairman Steven Rubenstein.
“Today we are not even close to those bad times. But you should not wait until everything starts spinning, ”he added.
AirTag can be hidden in the car so that the thief cannot find it. In the event of theft, the app on the phone notifies the owner of the car that the AirTag has moved and allows you to track its location in real time.
“It's not a centralized tracking system where we're in charge of tracking someone's car,” Adams said, emphasizing that it's up to the owner of the car to notify the police of the theft.
