Kirkland Cops Track Down Car Prowler with Smart Phone Technology

After using an iPhone application to track down a thief on the run, Kirkland Police are advising Apple product owners to install the app to help recover the product if it is stolen.

The ‘Find My iPhone’ app must be installed and enabled before it can be used to help locate the device in the event it is lost or stolen.

It is not the first time such technology has been used by the Kirkland Police Department to recover stolen smart phones. But the suspect nabbed in this case, booked into jail on charges of possessing stolen property, has an extensive criminal record of arrests and convictions for similar crimes.

It all began on June 16 when the window of a 2004 Lexus owned by a Bellevue woman was smashed in while she attended a lacrosse match at Juanita High School. Stolen from the car was her purse and its contents, which included an Apple iPad 2. She told police the iPad was enabled with the Find My iPhone app, and officers used the technology to discover it was heading south on Interstate 405.

Kirkland Police coordinated with their counterparts in the City of Sea-Tac, who stopped the suspect’s vehicle and arrested him. The victim’s iPad was inside.

To find out if your Apple device is enabled or capable of being enabled with the ‘Find My iPhone’ app, you can visit the following links for more information:

• Find My iPhone: http://www.apple.com/icloud/features/find-my-iphone.html
• Find My iPhone overview: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2696
• Set up Find My iPhone: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2697

In a press release, Kirkland Police also cautioned car owners against leaving valuables in their cars, especially in areas prone to car prowls, such as parks, trailheads and other recreational areas, and youth and school sporting events. For more information, you can visit the crime prevention page of the Kirkland Police website at www.kirklandwa.gov/police.

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Information from a City of Kirkland press release.