GPS search turns up man's stolen iPhone
A man whose iPhone was stolen after he lent it to another man got it back after Ypsilanti police used global positioning system technology to trace the device to a local wireless store.
The theft took place around 3:30 p.m. Saturday on the 10 block of East Cross Street in Depot Town.
The suspect, an unknown male, took off on foot after persuading the victim to let him use the device. The victim took off in pursuit but was unable to catch him, police said.
A GPS search traced the phone to a local wireless store, where the owner said he held onto it after a subject came in asking for help unlocking it.
Police recovered the phone and returned it to the victim. There was no suspect information available.
Rich Kinsey, a retired Ann Arbor Police detective sergeant and AnnArbor.com contributor, wrote recently that thefts of smart phones are on the rise, with perpetrators often asking to borrow the devices because they “lost” theirs.
Comments
M.
Tue, May 1, 2012 : 4:36 p.m.
I'm glad to see the police used the GPS technology. I've heard of a number of people (through app reviews) in other states who couldn't convince their police force that the apps were reliable and were forced to track and recover their phones on their own (dangerous - don't do that).
Ed Kimball
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 3:18 p.m.
iPhones in particular support Apple's Find My iPhone App, which will usually determine the location of the iPhone using a web browser or an app on another iOS device. Unfortunately, once I dropped my in Trader Joe's and they put it in their heavy metal safe to protect it. Since that blocked the GPS signal, Find My iPhone failed. But a personal visit to TJ got the phone back.
Mark Hergott
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 : 12:04 p.m.
Stealing a smart phone with GPS is a good way to not have to worry about rent for a while.