The major crimes unit at 14 Division has logged into a GPS-based app to track a stolen device in real-time about 30 times since January, and recovered about five devices, said Chilvers, who added that they’ve had more success recovering laptops than cellphones. “I wouldn’t want to try to get the message out there that ‘oh yeah, get these apps and you’ll always get your stuff back,’ because that is not true.” Chris Chilvers, who always tries to use apps to recover a device. In 2012, about 1,800 robberies were reported to police, and all police interviewed for this story said cellphones are stolen on a daily basis.Īpps like Find My iPhone are a helpful tool - when they work, says Det. Robberies involving cellphones doubled in Toronto from 2009 to 2012. The downside is that there’s only a short window of time before a thief shuts off the phone or removes the battery, making an app useless. and George St., where my phone appeared before it was powered off. That’s why police came to take my statement before doing some questioning near Dundas St. “If someone rips it from your hand, that’s a robbery.” Ron Taverner, who added that detectives or primary investigators may use GPS-based apps to find stolen phones, but only after responding officers deal with the situation.Ī robbery includes “violence or a threat of violence,” said Taverner. The first step after a robbery is to respond to a call in person to make sure the victim is safe, says Supt. If an app exists that can lead you right to the bad guy running away with my phone, why not nab him while you can? With my $700 phone on the run, I had one question. They would have to come and interview me first. But when he hung up, he told me staff at 51 Division couldn’t respond to that information. Toronto Police were on the line, and he told them we were tracking hot property in real time. A security officer clicked refresh as “Melinda’s Phone” flashed on a Google Map accessed through iCloud, and I struggled to quell vigilante aspirations. Half an hour later, I was sitting in Ryerson’s campus security office staring at a monitor, watching my stolen iPhone stroll along Dundas St. ![]() We didn’t make it, but I did bump into campus security looking for the suspect, and they asked for my iCloud login information. I ran after him as fast as my high-heeled boots would carry me, and yelled that I’d been robbed, prompting three men to join the chase. All I knew is that a man took my phone, and he wasn’t going to get away with it. When I first got my phone, I signed up for iCloud, which is an online repository for content like contacts, email and apps - including Find My iPhone - that you can access from multiple devices like an iPod, iPad or computer.īut I didn’t read the fine print. With one giant yank, the cord from my headphones was left dangling.Īs a relatively new iPhone owner, I didn’t know my phone had an app called Find My iPhone, one of many that use GPS to track a device’s location, wipe data, sound a blaring alarm or snap and email a picture when someone tries to crack a passcode too many times. Suddenly, a man with a scruffy beard and a black jacket grabbed my phone and sped off. My mind was on a sandwich I was going to pick up at the Eaton Centre, and I was in the middle of sending a text. On a sunny afternoon on Ryerson University’s campus, my iPhone was ripped out of my hand.
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