View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2008 > March > 05
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Crime spike? Blame it on iPods
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
iPods are causing a spike in the crime rate. Finally, something and someone to blame!
Some guys at a public policy institute said the iPod caused a rise in violent crime in 2005 and 2006. Here’s part of the reason: Prior to 2005 the robbery rate, nationally, declined. Many people go along with this theory but some people, who are from Washington D.C. and live in “think-tanks”, believe the story has holes in it. They got together and formed a panel to discuss it.
I was assuming they were going to discuss if the iPod was behind the rise in crime as stated above. The tankers, as they like to call themselves, instead decided to talk about ways to disable the devices in case they were stolen. In other words they didn’t discuss the intended topic at all. Perhaps it was an acceptance that it is what it is and their efforts would best be channeled towards prevention, or it could have been the fact that Steven Jobs was just stage-right in a Ninja outfit and designer jeans pointing to the panel members and making the “cut-throat” gesture with his finger. Either way, iPods seem to be the center of controversy.
Aside from the tank guys, common sense would seem to support the theory that iPods were inviting as favorite target for thieves. Secondly, those wearing iPods are now considered favorable targets of crime, sometimes violent crime. Why?
I will explain.
Up near Ball Ground, we gather every so often to discuss probabilities such as the theory that iPods are responsible for the rise in crime as well as other hot topics including why Aaron Neville doesn’t do something about that big mole on his head. I’m sure he can see it.
We don’t have think tanks up here so Uncle Dewey and I borrowed a couple of dunk tanks from the volunteer fire department, filled them full of lukewarm water, got some Crown Royal and a couple of Cubanos and went to thinking. We failed to realize the total comfort of our surroundings and nearly drowned when we fell asleep.
In order to salvage at least some of our original task, we moved our proceedings to nearby Nelson, GA to the home of J.W. Whitlock, who was recently divorced. Sadly, it appeared he was letting himself go after his wife Eugena left him. This was evident by the fact that Boris, his 600 pound pig, was roaming throughout the trailer as we attempted to think.
Despite the distractions, we quickly concluded that iPod owners were likely to be singled out as targets for crime, be it theft or robbery, by the mere fact they were so preoccupied with listening to these devices they had no concept of who or what was around them. The supporting statistics were alarming. 32 percent of people who listened to iPods were more likely to be injured or killed by doing things like drowning after walking into the ocean of falling off the Grand Canyon.
History will show that this pattern of new and improved gadgets or toys or whatever, has always drawn the interest of thieves.
While much has been written about the discoveries of the Java Man, Peking Man, Boy George, and the Neanderthal who once lived in Europe, very little has been written about their “cast-offs” of their society. Early cave drawings clearly show drawings depicting the kidnapping of women, or alleged women since back then everyone looked like really small versions of Andre the Giant.
“There has been a lot of anecdotal evidence of iPods, cell phones, GPS systems that have been targets of theft. No research can tell us those wouldn’t have been substituted for other things,” said Jack McDevitt, associate dean at Northeastern University’s College of Criminal Justice just before he found out someone had stolen his houndstooth jacket from his VW.
That’s not exactly a profound statement. I found it to be pretty middle-of-the-road. Sure, what if we didn’t have iPods or GPS? Something would have taken its place, like Webvan or edible deodorant—if only they didn’t flop.
Whatever conclusions these think-tank guys come up with, don’t forget that if something is hard to steal then most thieves will move on down the road to an easier target. Don’t worry about all the reasons, just stash the cash and you’ll be okay.
