Data released over the weekend by the New York Police Department shows that grand larcenies within the city increased again in 2013, up 13% to roughly 45,000 incidents. There were plenty of contributing factors, of course, but the NYPD specifically pointed a finger at Apple while explaining why crime was on the rise last year. According to the city’s police department, thefts of Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad made up more than 18% of all grand larcenies in New York City last year, with 8,465 incidents having been reported. Apple devices are stolen so often that the NYPD now specifically tracks thefts of Apple-branded devices separately from other devices. The Wall Street Journal noted that while Apple devices are indeed the most frequently stolen mobile devices in New York, an NYPD spokesperson said that Apple has also “led the industry in helping customers protect their lost or stolen devices” with its Find My iPhone and Find My iPad apps.
Why was crime on the rise in New York last year? Blame Apple
Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:44PM EST
If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.
Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.
His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.
