The New York Police Department is giving out free Apple AirTags to people living in certain neighborhoods to help crack down on auto theft as the city continues to battle against fluctuating crime rates.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Sunday that precincts have seen a rise in Kia and Hyundai vehicles becoming the targets of grand larceny auto, more commonly referred to as grand theft auto or motor vehicle theft, a crime that is rising significantly throughout 2023 as homicides and violent crime decrease.
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In the 43rd Precinct, which serves the Bronx neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Soundview, and Parkchester, the NYPD marked a 548% increase in stolen Kia and Hyundai models.
"This precinct reached a number of 200 [grand larceny auto thefts]," Adams said of the precinct. "There's no other precinct in the city that has numbers like that, and it's not because of the work of the men and women here have been coordinating to target and zero-in on the problem of grand larceny autos."
To combat this, the 43rd Precinct deployed 500 AirTags with the goal of decreasing stolen cars, Adams said.
"Your greatest investment is your automobile. It's used for many different reasons. It's used to get to and from your place of employment, to drop your children off every day," Adams said. "Using technology to fight crime, protect people, save property is a direction this administration and this Police Department is going in."
"This is a simple AirTag hidden in a car at a location that a person is not aware of is an excellent tracking device. It's easy to monitor," Adams continued. "All of a sudden, you get alerted that your car is moving. It's actually showing you in real time where the car is located."
NYPD officers will not have access to the tracking information related to AirTags that are distributed, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said.
"The owner realizes that their car is missing for whatever reason, they call us, and we'll look at their phone, and we'll use their phone to track the vehicle," Maddrey said.
Chief of Patrol John Chell said Hondas, Hyundais, and Kias are targets citywide.
"There's a manufacturer's defect in both those autos, where it's a plastic cylinder that covers the car. You can remove that plastic cylinder with a hardware screwdriver and a USB port that would use your iPhone and would start that car up right away," Chell said.
Adams said TikTok has contributed to the rise in grand theft auto because popular videos are circulating showing people how to steal a vehicle, a growing trend in other cities, such as Washington, D.C.
"When you go onto TikTok, they actually show in this challenge of stealing the car, they actually show how to use the everyday cord you charge your phone, how to jump-start the car," Adams said.
Adams pointed to a decrease in other major crimes. New York City saw a 26.1% decrease in shooting incidents and an 11.4% decrease in homicides in March 2023 compared to March 2022, according to the city's crime statistics. The overall index crime remained "virtually flat" by increasing 0.1%. Four of the seven index crime categories — murder, rape, robbery, and burglary — decreased in March. Larceny went down 2.4%.
However, the mayor said the uptick in grand larceny increases the crime rate and gives people a misconstrued look at how crime is handled in New York City.
"The aggravated number of grand larceny auto continues to drive up our crime in the city. It gives a false sense that we're not moving in the right direction when we are," Adams said.
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The Association for a Better New York "picked up the cost" of the 500 AirTags, which Adams said highlights the administration's relationship with the small-business community. Adams said he hopes to partner with other organizations in the city to distribute AirTags to other neighborhoods.
"During the '70s, this was the association that helped us bail out our economic challenges, and once again during 2023, they're here again," Adams said.