Following up on our post Friday on how smartphone “kill switches” are likely causing a decline in cell phone theft nationwide, Decatur Police Sgt. Jennifer Ross sent in these relevant data points and observations recently compiled by DPD…

We have been awaiting cell phone “kill switches” hoping it will make a difference in the demand for stolen smart phones and subsequently impact the trend of robbery suspects targeting these phones.  So far in 2014, we have had ten robberies reported with one later being unfounded.  In four of the nine cases, suspects appeared to have been targeting cell phones and in two other cases cell phones were taken along with other items, so a total of six phones were stolen in robberies. Three of those were iPhones and three were other brands.

For 2012, in 6 out of 25 (24%) robberies, cell phones were targeted.

For 2013, in 19 out of 28 (68%) robberies, cell phones were targeted.

In studying the cases, we have found several pedestrian robberies involving cell phones were a crime of sought out opportunity.  The would-be robber simply walks around looking for an unaware person using the phone or carrying the phone in their hand and waits for the right moment to grab it and run.  Up until the moment they commit the crime, they blend in and hang out and wait for an opportunity.  Sometimes the robbery goes unnoticed because people passing by think they are simply seeing teenagers hanging out or playing around.

The most important thing you can do to prevent being victimized is be aware.  Be aware of someone watching you use your phone or following you.  Also, remember that no item is worth your life.  You never know what a suspect will do if challenged or how many friends the suspect has waiting in the area.

Last summer, Decatur experienced a rash of smartphone thefts around the city.  It was hardly alone.  In cities across the country, 2013 seemed to be the year of smartphone theft.

But now, a new crime figures from cities around the county suggests that the installation of “kill switches” on iPhones has decreased their likelihood of theft.  The New York Times reports that in addition to Apple’s “kill switch” called “Activation Lock“, which was introduced last September, both Google and Microsoft announced Thursday that they would introduce similar functionality to all phones using their operating systems in the near future.

Good news indeed.

In the interim, if anyone knows of preventative measures for smartphone owners with Google and Microsoft operating systems while they wait for “kill switch” functionality to be integrated, please comment below.

And you have an iPhone, here’s a quick review of how to shutdown your iPhone via Apple…

If you ever misplace your device—whether it’s just lost or you think it may have been stolen—you should put it into Lost Mode immediately using Find My iPhone.

Lost Mode locks your screen with a four-digit passcode and lets you display a custom message with your phone number to help you get it back. You can also remotely erase your device if needed, and your custom message will continue to display even after the device is erased.

While Activation Lock works in the background to make it more difficult for someone to use or sell your missing device, Lost Mode clearly indicates to anyone who finds your device that it still belongs to you and can’t be reactivated without your password.

To put a device into Lost Mode, sign in to icloud.com/find from a Mac or PC or use the Find My iPhone iOS app.

For more information, read what to do if your device is lost or stolen.

Photo courtesy of Janitors via Flickr