A Colorado police department is giving away Apple AirTags to fight car theft

[midian182]

In brief: We've heard plenty of reports about Apple AirTags and Tile trackers being used by people to find stolen items. It's a trend that hasn't gone unnoticed by Colorado's Arvada Police department, who are giving the trackers away for free to members of the public in a bid to reduce car thefts.

Since their arrival in 2021, AirTags have been popular among both those committing crimes and those trying to prevent them. CBS Colorado reports that the Arvada Police Department has a lot of faith in the devices' ability to track stolen cars, which is why it has been giving them out free.

Although the report focuses on Apple's AirTags, the APD also handed out Tile trackers during its first giveaway (the next one will take place in April).

Those who receive a AirTag or Tile also get a sticker for their vehicle that warns would-be thieves that it is tracker-equipped and can be tracked by police if stolen. The report notes that the police do not have access to the car owner's tracker location once it is installed in a vehicle – it will be up to the owner to provide location details to police if their vehicle is stolen.

A single Apple AirTag costs $29, or $99 for a four pack. The Tile Mate is $25 for a single pack, the Tile Slim is $35, and a two pack of Tile Pro trackers is $60. It's unclear how many tracking devices the police force is giving away, but the department no doubt believes the cost of investigating vehicle thefts is higher than buying a few hundred trackers.

Ironically, there were reports in 2021 of thieves placing AirTags on cars parked in public places. The devices were attached to out-of-sight spots, including trailer hitches, bumpers, and gas caps. Thieves then tracked the vehicles until they stopped in a suitable location to steal, such as the victims' residences.

We've also seen stories about AirTags being used by the DEA to track suspected narcotics equipment. One was used to find a lost $8,000 bike, a carpenter turned to the devices to locate a stash of stolen tools worth millions, and a victim tracked down mail thieves through the tracking tech. On the flip side, a 2024 study showed tracking devices were frequently used in organized crime and by domestic violence perpetrators.

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A Colorado police department is giving away Apple AirTags to fight car theft

 

[trparky]

You know what would really work to fight car theft? Prosecuting criminals.

Oh, I forgot—we can't do that these days because of... reasons.

 

[Dreadcthulhu]

You know what would really work to fight car theft? Prosecuting criminals.

Oh, I forgot—we can't do that these days because of... reasons.

Well to be fair before you can prosecute the criminals you need to catch them first; tracking down the location of a stolen car makes finding the criminals easier. Hopefully these Colorado police are more competent than the police in other jurisdictions; I remember a news story of an Ottawa man who had a truck stolen, used Air Tags to report its location to the police (it ended up in the Port of Montreal), and then said police decided that dealing with the Port Authority was just too hard and the truck got shipped overseas somewhere.

 

[BadThad]

Waste of money, dumb idea! I suspect most people that got them used them for a different purpose unless they were driving a Hyundai/Kia. LOLOLOL

 

[p51d007]

BEST security system ever...stops the criminal, but you need a new vehicle after.

 

[Underdog]

It seems odd to me that car manufacturers can devise dozens of electronic gadgets, gizmos, and driver distracting trash but appear to be completely unable to stop car thieves. The old cumbersome steering wheel and pedal locks were pretty good as I recall, but not terribly convenient. And of course would require a level of user effort.