New York City is taking a new stance on combating the city’s escalating prevalence of car thefts by providing people with free Apple AirTags.
On Sunday, Mayor Eric Adams introduced the project, calling the AirTag device a “really amazing piece of ingenuity” that can help lessen the likelihood of automobiles being stolen.
“The aggravated number of grand larceny autos continues to drive up crime in our city,” Adam said. “This simple device, this simple AirTag, hidden in a car location that a person is not aware, of is an excellent tracking device. It’s easy to monitor. You can see in real-time where the vehicle is located.”
The NYPD has demonstrated how the device would aid in the recovery of stolen vehicles, and 500 AirTags are planned to be distributed to residents.
The Association for a Better New York provided the AirTags to the police for distribution to citizens. The NYPD’s Crime Prevention Unit is devising a strategy to deploy the tracking devices, beginning with neighbourhoods with a high number of reported auto thefts.
The city also plans to expand this initiative by seeking funds to acquire more tracking devices.
While car theft is a problem throughout the city, some areas are more vulnerable than others. Car thieves frequently target regions with a high number of expensive vehicles.
With approximately 4,500 auto thefts reported thus far this year, the rate of car thefts in NYC has already grown by more than 13% since the same period in 2022.
When it comes to car theft prevention, technology has come a long way in recent years. Several high-tech solutions are now available to help protect your vehicle. Some car alarm systems, for example, now include remote start and stop capabilities, allowing you to remotely disable your vehicle if it is stolen.
Some GPS monitoring systems also include geofencing capabilities, which enable you to create virtual borders around your car and receive notifications if it moves outside of those bounds.
How does the AirTag work?
The AirTag, from Apple, is a supereasy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys, put another in your car, and just like that, they’re on your radar in the Find My app, where you can also track down your Apple devices and keep up with friends and family.
Your AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the Find My app and see it on a map.
The whole process is anonymous and encrypted to protect your privacy. And itʼs efficient, so thereʼs no need to worry about battery life or data usage.
