Oliver Haslam on May 1, 2023, 2:36 pm

New York Wants People To Put AirTags Into Their Cars

The New York Police Department has told drivers that they should put Apple’s AirTag item trackers into their cars in an attempt to make them easier to get back should they be stolen.

The news comes as vehicle thefts in New York City have increased by 13% compared to last year, with the Bronx particularly badly affected — the number is a massive 25% in that part of town.

Now, the NYPD has told drivers that they should consider putting an AirTag into their vehicle in case it gets stolen.

“This simple device, this simple AirTag, hidden in a car location that a person is not aware, of is an excellent tracking device,” Mayor Eric Adams said when announcing that a nonprofit called Association for Better New York was handing out 500 free item trackers. “It’s easy to monitor. You can see in real-time where the vehicle is located.”

Apple never said that its AirTag could be used for locating stolen vehicles but there have already been multiple reports of people successfully getting their vehicles back after using an AirTag to locate them.

“Your phone will be alerted. You know someone’s in your car who’s not supposed to be, and/or it’s stolen. You call 911 as fast as you can,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said when discussing the AirTag. “You tell the officers involved ‘I have an AirTag, ‘and they will immediately with citywide apprehension apparatus will start putting that tag citywide.”