Washington DC Gives Residents Free AirTags To Help Track Stolen Cars (pcmag.com) 110
The city of Washington D.C. is planning to give residents Apple AirTags to help officers track down stolen vehicles. PCMag reports: "Last week, we introduced legislation to address recent crime trends; this week, we are equipping residents with technology that will allow MPD to address these crimes, recover vehicles, and hold people accountable," D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement. "We have had success with similar programs where we make it easier for the community and MPD to work together -- from our Private Security Camera Incentive Program to the wheel lock distribution program -- and we will continue to use all the tools we have, and add new tools, to keep our city safe."
At launch, the AirTags will be available to residents in specific areas of the city that have recently seen the largest increase in vehicle thefts. To obtain the tags, residents will have to attend one of three scheduled distribution events next week where officers will install the device on the resident's cars and help them set up the tracking tag on their mobile devices. The program is currently available for residents who live in Police Service Areas 106, 501, 502, 603, 605, and 606. Check where you live on the MPD's website.
At launch, the AirTags will be available to residents in specific areas of the city that have recently seen the largest increase in vehicle thefts. To obtain the tags, residents will have to attend one of three scheduled distribution events next week where officers will install the device on the resident's cars and help them set up the tracking tag on their mobile devices. The program is currently available for residents who live in Police Service Areas 106, 501, 502, 603, 605, and 606. Check where you live on the MPD's website.
haha (Score:3)
Oh those darn "youths" again, as usual up to their ears in hijinks
Re: haha (Score:2)
Meddling kids....
I have friends who have had their cars stolen (Score:5, Insightful)
The cars were recovered, but in both cases the interior of the cars were trashed by the thieves. The idea should be to take actions which deter car thieves in the first place. You don't want it to get to the point where you're faced with the prospect of recovering a vehicle, because then you're also possibly dealing with having to confront the thief or trying to convince disinterested police to actually do their job.
Put the free AirTag on that BBQ ignitor you're always misplacing. Then get a real anti-theft device such as a club and/or ignition kill switch for your car so a thief won't be going anywhere with it.
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It all depends on the tech available. The old standby of having a hidden switch on the ignition, and another on the fuel pump has worked for me, even with vehicles without chip technology. If needed, I could always step up to a Ravelco immobilizer for about a grand, which will force a thief to tear through an armored conduit and play "guess the pins" in order to start the vehicle. I've wound up with my car with a busted steering column, and another time, the vehicle was in the street stalled, but they we
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I guess I've been lucky? In my 25 years of car ownership the worst thing that ever happened to me was having the spare change stolen out of my 1991 beater car that was so dilapidated the doors no longer locked. They'd have done me a favor stealing that car. Instead I got a real slap in the face; they took the time to dump out my gallon milk jug of spare change, picked out all the quarters, nickels, and dimes, and left the fucking pennies. Fuckers couldn't just take it all?!
One word: Coinstar. If you take the payout as an Amazon voucher, there is no charge.
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For some reason the Amazon GC option is location-dependent, different retail locations have it or not.
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In the city where I used to live, it seems that the main purpose of stealing a car is to use it in another crime, like a smash-and-grab robbery, and then abandoning it. So finding the stolen vehicle is usually easy.
In fact, a very common theft involving cars has become to jack up the car and cut out the catalytic converter, leaving the car behind in its' parking space.
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Wow, people where you live bother with jacking the car up to take a catalytic converter? Here they just show up with an electric saws-all and a U-haul truck to a movie theater parking lot, lay down next to the car on the pavement and slide the saw underneath and start removing exhaust systems - two cuts through some fairly thin tube walling, slide the catalytic converter to your friend who throws it in the back of the U-haul while you move to the next car in the row.
They are so quick at this, that last yea
Re:I have friends who have had their cars stolen (Score:5, Funny)
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If most cars have immobilizers then how are they being stolen?
I know a lot of high end ones have flawed keyless entry/start systems that are vulnerable to relay and replay attacks. It's kind of surprising that anyone can insure them, but then I read that often the insurance company won't pay out because they blame the owner for not using a Faraday pouch.
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A lot of those systems are shit. I hear you can bypass the one on 2000s Mercedes by jumping two relay pins together. On the Sprinter the relay in question is under the column and you can do it from the driver's seat with no tools, just one little piece of wire.
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The most expensive part of the system are the keyfobs. This is why I like the older systems of a remote, where an attacker can't use a system of making your key seem nearer to the vehicle in order to open the door and start the engine.
I have seen systems like the CAN-Phantom which will prompt for a PIN with random buttons on the vehicle, but that seems UK only.
Maybe it is time for some 1990s tech to come back. I remember an alarm system which had an anti-carjack feature with a third pedal which would let
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Most immobilizers and anti-theft systems are there just to check the box with insurance companies and regulatory approvals. You usually need to look no further than the wires actually connecting the security module to the rest of the car plus a google search to figure out an easy bypass. For example, the "immobilizer" in many Volkswagen cars from the late 90s to the late 00's could be bypassed in seconds with a screwdriver and a mini blade fuse by prying a plastic cover off the dash, pulling out the secur
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Clubs are worthless, all it takes is a pair of bolt cutters to remove it.
"But my club is made of diamond!"
Too bad your steering wheel isn't. And it remains plenty functional with a single cut in it, which is all that's needed.
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Good thing they have a lot of juice. If you charge your vehicle overnight you don't have to worry either.
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Clubs are worthless, all it takes is a pair of bolt cutters to remove it.
"But my club is made of diamond!"
Too bad your steering wheel isn't. And it remains plenty functional with a single cut in it, which is all that's needed.
Not ENTIRELY worthless, they are a deterrent to casual car thieves, given the choice a similar car with no steering wheel lock will get pinched instead of yours. But if a thief WANTS your car, they're going to get by pretty much any steering wheel lock, pretty quickly if they have the right tools.
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When clubs were popular I used one. Then I came out to find my windshield broken. Turns out a snowplow had come by, hit the side mirror hard enough to move the car and jerk the front wheels so the steering wheel turned driving the end of the club into the windshield. I could even show the insurance adjuster that with the club on the wheel the end of it went right to the center of the cracks. They covered it.
Re: I have friends who have had their cars stolen (Score:2)
A lot of times when they see stuff like that, it just makes them want to target that car even more just out of spite. Similar things happen when people have those security company signs planted in their yards. Similarly, these systems are generally worthless, at least in the way most are built.
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The trick with security is to make your ride less attractive than the other people, but not so much security that it gets vandalized out of spite. Ages ago, I was at a job where one car had an alarm that went off all the time, and had an Invisi-beam sensor on it with a voice, "you have ten seconds to leave the area of the car" if people got near it, and eventually the alarm just was going off all the time. The car was put out of its misery when someone poured gasoline on the car and set it ablaze.
Back whe
Re: I have friends who have had their cars stolen (Score:2)
That's why people go around keying luxury cars. It didn't really get any attention until Teslas came around with sentry mode where they caught people in the act. Prior to that the assumption was generally that somebody who hates you did that to spite you. Teslas showed everybody that it's typically done by people who have no idea or the owner is, and the owner didn't do anything wrong to them.
It turns out that basically some poor slob, like drinkypoo or rsilvergun, sees nice things that they don't have but
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> convince disinterested police to actually do their job
You can tell this guy has interacted with police as a non-criminal.
Cops aren't there to protect you or your property (Score:1)
And besides those inner city use aren't going to beat themselves to death right?
DC’s Newest Public Service: iTheft Tracking (Score:2)
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DC voters are so fucking stupid, I mean look who they vote for, that they will actually believe this bullshit about this joke of a program helping fight auto theft. They will thank their elected officials for caring about them, and vote for all incumbents again next year.
Re: DC’s Newest Public Service: iTheft Track (Score:2)
No need to worry about that in Washington DC, police are not allowed to chase or confront criminals unless someone is actively in danger AND there are no other alternatives. They simply wait until your car gets wrapped around a pole and then pick up the wreck for you. And they sure wonâ(TM)t pick up the criminal even if you have him on camera, and even if they did, the justice system has various diversion programs where criminals donâ(TM)t even get punished.
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You sound like a stalker.
Re:AirTags are the creepiest thing ever... (Score:5, Informative)
The tracking warning that does exist alerts in false positive situations. I get one every time I take a train ride. For pure amusement I tap the button to make it play an alert sound and watch the ensuing chaos as the owner has to find the thing to shut it up.
That's not how it works. As long as the AirTag is within range of the owner's iDevice, it will not trigger an alert.
So you're probably actually helping someone find an AirTag that's been lost or intentionally stuck on someone else.
They're also great for sticking in luggage so you can prove to the airport staff you KNOW they've lost your bag and you can show them exactly where it is.
AirTag brought traceable, easily controlled "tracking" to the masses, which is absolutely useless for actual stalking in most cases. And when it happens, the AirTag is linked to someone's AppleID and most probably their name, credit card details, billing address etc... So hugely self-incriminating that only idiots would try it.
And if that's the worst product ever made, I have a Ford Pinto to sell you. Among other things.
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That's not my experience. I can make AirTags play an alert sound even when they are in range of the owner, using an Android phone. There is a rate limit on how often you can make the AirTag play the sound, something like every 10 minutes.
Apple was irresponsible in not creating an open standard for trackers, so that Android could at least support stalking detection. Google has now created one, but is waiting for Apple to implement support in iOS before releasing products to market. Apple doesn't seem to be i
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Apple is literally using MY battery and cellular data to help YOU find your shit
I know. What were they thinking. Can't the see we are self centred arseholes!
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Well, theyâ(TM)ve been available for a few years now. So it should be a simple matter of running the numbers.
A = How many people have had lost or stolen items recovered because they had an AirTag.
B = How many people have been unwittingly been tracked with an AirTag.
Which number is higher, A or B? My guess would be A. Iâ(TM)d also point out that AirTags are hardly the first technology that serve the purpose or even which work in the same way. Ever heard of Tile? But because itâ(TM)s Apple an
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Which number is higher, A or B?
You'd have to be a complete idiot to weight abusive people against stolen items in a 1 to 1 ratio.
Re: AirTags are the creepiest thing ever... (Score:2)
https://lawandcrime.com/lawsuit/the-effects-are-devastating-massive-nationwide-lawsuit-against-apple-claims-airtags-have-become-stalkers-weapon-of-choice/
I think this whole idea of handing them out like candy is going to come back negatively against the city. They will have a hard time claiming they never thought giving free trackers to everyone could go badly with the sheer amount of lawsuits they are more and more invo
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Do the thieves get arrested or even jail time (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: Do the thieves get arrested or even jail time (Score:3)
No. They get elected mayor.
Mounting (Score:2)
I use these to mount them under the vehicle frame with zip ties.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/33408... [ebay.com]
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Or would that require undefuning the police first?
Retardcrats in charge, so three guesses as to whether that happens or if *not* having your car jacked becomes a criminal offense.
Car theft up over 100% in the last year alone!
..
https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/distr... [dc.gov]
Never-mind about the 30+% increase in homicide. Levels that have not been seen in decades..
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Almost like poverty and crime are connected.
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When have police ever prevented crime?
Re: How's about jailing the car thieves? (Score:1)
When criminals are afraid of being caught AND punished. Both must be true. In most places with high crime, police will arrest, but the arrestees are usually not meaningfully prosecuted or their police are so hamstrung that they can't do much arresting.
Re: How's about jailing the car thieves? (Score:2, Interesting)
In places where they literally tried to downgrade carjacking to a lower level offense because criminal justice reform, until they were overruled by a bipartisan vote of Congress, I'd say politics has at least something to do with it here.
Magaland is usually magaland because it has other problems that people scapegoat on lefties for. Just like defund the police was gonna be the magic bullet that was gonna unghetto all the ghettos if you wish hard enough.
Only difference is I personally don't live in magaland,
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Magaland is usually magaland because it has other problems that people scapegoat on lefties for.
Magaland is magaland because the education systems have been deliberately compromised and people there are dumb as shit. You can't be a maga without being a spectacular idiot because the lies are so transparent. Trump has been a shitheel for literally his whole life (he was literally raised that way) and it's obvious that everything that comes out of his mouth is a con, but some people can't perceive even what's obvious.
Sadly, most lefties are dumb too, because most people are dumb. But some people are prov
Re: How's about jailing the car thieves? (Score:1)
Tu quo que much?
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Overall, the number of households with firearms has been steadily decreasing over the last few decades despite an increase in pro-gun sentiment. Even in areas with "a lot of gun toting".
It is likely that any of those carjackers you've mentioned will face more jailtime where you live than they would in D.C. But jailtime alone isn't always a deterrent.
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Sounds like a municipal/county issue more than a state issue. As the saying goes, all politics is local. But remember that police problems are secondary to the primary problem which is: what motivates the people where you live?
Some of these "very red states" have had cultural pockets given to miscreant behavior for hundreds of years.
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It is common that self defense experts do not consider a firearm to be your first line of defense. Indeed things like awareness are your first line of defense, and running away (where possible) is always preferable to confrontation.
Your second layer of defense is usually some sort of personal self-defense training. A weapon - such as a firearm - is meant to be as a last resort.
Whether a firearm can stop a carjacking is going a bit further out into the weeds than we need to go, though. There is a non-zero
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Re: How's about jailing the car thieves? (Score:1)
Most jurisdictions do not register guns. There is no federal registration. How did you determine gun ownership is on a decline? Would you be honest with a stranger who asks about your politically-incorrect valuables? Sales records say gun ownership is up.
Gun and ammunition sales are constantly growing. Gun shops have for the past few years reported more business from first-time gun owners and from demographics who tended not to own guns. Those are solid and verifiable facts. If you can point to someth
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Usually it's based on sales and survey data.
https://www.vpc.org/studies/ow... [vpc.org]
That's just one paper on it. You can judge for yourself whether you think the methods are accurate.
Re: How's about jailing the car thieves? (Score:1)
I was looking for something objective and honest. Josh Sugarman's outfit (VPC) is neither. He openly brags about confusing the public about the "menacing looks" of certain firearms. Look up "VPC" with "menacing looks". The top hit with Google is the claim on vpc.org. Subsequent hits call out VPC on its role in deceiving the public. Do you have anything else?
Jack in 2024! (Score:2)
There's no pro car theft/jacking movement on the left, right, or center.
It's a shame that these people are not represented... Who will speak up for them; they need their voices to be heard!!
Vote with your feet (Score:2)
Move to some place that is safer.
Because you *will* be using your feet (Score:3)
After your car is stolen.
Future. (Score:2)
Hey, we've seen that the airtag we gave you was in the neighborhood of a murder. Guess what! You're a suspect!
What? You didn't think we'd track you all the time? Don't be silly, of course we do! It's for your own safety!
Now be a good boy and report to your police station Monday morning where the nice sergeant will question you. And take spare underpants with you because you may have to sleep over...
FREE (Score:1)
More DC stupidity (Score:1)
Where are the Tags installed? (Score:1)
The police are holding an event where they will install the Air Tags. The thieves will now know exactly where to look to easily remove them...doh!
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Never seen an airtag, though I know what they're supposed to do.
I was under the impression that they lasted only a limited time (a week maybe?) before they needed something like recharging or resetting or whatever.
Wasn't there something about preventing stalkers from using them because they did or didn't do something after a certain time?
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Re:Have to keep charging them (Score:5, Informative)
The AirTag chime is made to be easily findable, it's the whole point of the device.
Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
It took me 5 seconds to find, and dispel your misinformation/FUD.
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You can listen to the sounds that AirTags make here: https://youtu.be/c0TVHPHRjXg [youtu.be]
The beeps to find a stalker tag are about the right pitch to aid with locating it. Not sure about the volume though, and the speaker is trivial to disable.
Re: Have to keep charging them (Score:2)
It can be heard from inside a full suitcase. It gets hard to hear from another room in this case, but then your phone is telling you that you arenâ(TM)t that close anyway.
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Tile type of transponder tags are like this. You use them for a year, then you re-buy them with a discount.
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Apple actually built it to have a replaceable CR2032 battery. Ironic, I know, considering it's the only thing they sell that has removable batteries anymore...
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Yep, and they warn you when it is time to replace them. Tile tags used to be what was in the niche of tracking items, but Tiles have to be completely replaced every year or so, not just a battery. I used them for one business trip as a secondary layer with the Airtags, then forgot about them, just because you had to keep replacing the tags.
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Never seen an airtag, though I know what they're supposed to do.
I was under the impression that they lasted only a limited time (a week maybe?) before they needed something like recharging or resetting or whatever.
Wasn't there something about preventing stalkers from using them because they did or didn't do something after a certain time?
A year.
Then you replace the battery.
Re: Have to keep charging them (Score:2, Interesting)
Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)
Another case of DC dysfunction (Score:3)
It doesn't help the police to know where the stolen car is, since they're not allowed to go get it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com... [washingtonpost.com]
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That's a case of DC police officers sabotaging their own department. In a densely populated city like Washington DC, a high speed pursuit is extremely dangerous. There have been several incidents recently that have injured and killed innocent bystanders. Roughly two years ago Washington DC's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) changed rules to restrict the use of high speed pursuits. The rule was updated in July of this year to allow more flexibility.
The editorial article you linked describes an incid
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Calling in air support in DC is a matter of radio to dispatch. If one of the two choppers is already on patrol the response time is very fast. At most the chopper is 10 miles away from any location in the city. The MPD can also request assistance from federal agencies or neighboring jurisdictions. The only time DC's air support would be limited is when weather conditions make it unsafe to fly.
Besides air support, there's nothing stopping the MPD from boxing in a stopped or parked car. The rules only li
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I thought the point about airtags are that they are more or less BLE beacons most of the time. On the early gen BLE hardware (Ti cc2450 ), with a bit of care over the board design and code, you cold get the power draw down far enough that a BLE beacon would run off a CR2032 (standard coin cell) for over a year. I could get 160 hours continuous use with a somewhat heavyweight process logging data over an active connection.
We're now several generations in.
Airtags are not as far as I understand (owning none) r
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AirTags use a standard 2032 disposable battery, carried by all drugstores. Battery life is about one year.
The weak point in this scheme, however well-intentioned, is that it's taking place in District of Columbia. In DC, all of the Apple devices that carry the FindMy app used to locate AirTags are stolen.
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Way to know nothing about the product in question, which a 10 second Google search would have saved you from stupidly displaying to everyone.
AirTags don't have rechargeable batteries, they use CR2032 batteries. [apple.com]. And they tell your phone when they are getting low [apple.com], so you know you need to change it out. Oh, and people using them for exactly this purpose (leaving in the car so you can track your car) have said that they get around 2 years of battery life [reddit.com].
It's almost like someone thought about this a lot longe
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The police wouldn't be able to track them. They'd need the tag "owner" to share the location with them when reporting the theft.