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Death Wish Meets GPS: iPhone Theft Victims Confronting Perps
theodp (442580) writes "Thankfully, no one's gone full-Charles-Bronson yet, but the NY Times reports that victims of smartphone theft are using GPS to take the law into their own hands, paying visits to thieves' homes and demanding the return of their stolen phones. "The emergence of this kind of do-it-yourself justice," writes Ian Lovett, "has stirred worries among law enforcement officials that people are putting themselves in danger, taking disproportionate risks for the sake of an easily replaced item." And while hitting "Find My iPhone" can take you to a thief's doorstep, LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith urges resisting the impulse to do so. "It's just a phone," he said. "it's not worth losing your life over. Let police officers take care of it. We have backup, guns, radio, jackets — all that stuff civilians don't have.""
Donuts. Tell them the perps stole your donuts.
Have gnu, will travel.
Not that confronting the perpetrator is a great idea, but don't expect the full CSI treatment when you report the theft.
Actually, confronting the perp is the best way to get the full CSI treatment. If you're lucky, they might even pull up your dental records to conclusively ID your remains.
how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
Tell them there are copyrighted mp3's on the phone. Voila! The SWAT team will be sent in to get your phone.
This is why I always keep pirated media and a bittorrent client that I can remotely activate on my phone. If it ever gets stolen, I won't bother the local police, I'll just activate the client and call the FBI.
-- Don't Tase me, bro!