Statement From A.G. Schneiderman Praising Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar For Introducing Smartphone Theft Prevention Act

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Statement From A.G. Schneiderman Praising Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar For Introducing Smartphone Theft Prevention Act.

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NEW YORK - February 13, 2014 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today issued the following statement on the Smartphone Theft Prevention Act introduced in the U.S Senate by Senator Amy Klobuchar:

“For the past eight months, the Secure Our Smartphone Initiative has been challenging carriers and manufacturers to install technology to end the epidemic of violent smartphone thefts plaguing our communities. I applaud Senator Klobuchar for taking the lead in introducing federal legislation that would require the industry to stop dragging its feet and join us in protecting consumers. Senator Klobuchar’s bold action to change the way the smartphone industry does business will help make our communities safer and help save lives.”

Launched earlier this year, the S.O.S. Initiative is an international coalition of prosecutors, police chiefs, state and city comptrollers, and public safety activists co-chaired by Attorney General Schneiderman, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and London Mayor Boris Johnson. Members of the initiative are committed to pressing the industry to find an effective way to combat the rise of often violent robberies involving smartphones.

Even as most types of property crime are falling, in communities worldwide, the theft of smartphones has spiked dramatically. In the United States, one in three thefts involves a mobile communications device, making it the number one property crime in America. Consumer Reports estimates that 1.6 million Americans were victimized by smartphone thieves in 2012.  

For more information on efforts by Attorney General Schneiderman, District Attorney Gascón and Mayor Johnson to combat “Apple Picking,” visit the San Francisco District Attorney’s website, the New York State Attorney General’s website or the London Mayor's website.