Don’t Steal an iPhone in Berkeley California

Berkeley California residents must be pleased to see their tax dollars at work fighting crime and there is no crime that won’t bear the full force of their police department. Take for instance stealing an iPhone. There is a zero tolerance for mobile tech theft but only if you are the police commander’s son! Dispatching 10 police officers , authorizing overtime, and crossing city limits, Berkeley Police Chief Michael K. Meehan’s son was lifted of his prized iPhone at Berkeley High School on Jan 11 in a story uncovered by the San Francisco Chronicle.  The iPhone was most likely using the Apple App Find My Phone which helped efforts of the police to locate his missing iPhone in Oakland where they extended their search.

The signal on the iPhone stopped and then a drug task force team was asked for additional assistance.  According to Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss, Berkeley PD public information officer, "Chief Meehan did not order anyone to investigate." Despite the fact that the alleged theft victim was the chief’s son, the department maintains that it was following by-the-book procedure.

and that:

"It is common for BPD officers to actively investigate an in-progress tracking signal from a stolen electronic device," she told TODAY.com. "These investigations can involve a supervisor and multiple officers depending on the circumstances of the case."

Oh, by the way, the iPhone was never recovered and there was never a police report filed. Next time, why don’t we all just chip in and by the kid a new iPhone and save some money from all the dollars we spend on the police department to come up short.

[msnbc.com]