Police

Scotland Yard spending $360M on tablets, trial purchase comprising 600 iPad minis

Scotland Yard – yes, Scotland Yard – has joined the post-PC revolution by announcing a tablet investment worth £200 million, or about $360 million, part of which is the trial purchase comprising 600 iPad minis.

Scotland Yard, which is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, the territorial police force responsible for policing most of London, said the iPad minis will be used as a replacement for police notebooks.

As part of the trial program, officers in Hammersmith and Fulham will be using Apple’s tablet to record crimes and taking witness statements using custom-made apps by the Metropolitan Police…

New South Wales police using iPad minis for traffic tickets

After airlines and classrooms, could law enforcement become the next area for Apple’s iPad? In Australia, police near Sydney are using iPad minis to write traffic citations, giving motorists the option of their tickers emailed as a PDF.

The concept is the idea of New South Wales patrol officers looking to reduce the amount of paper work while also keeping driver information secure. The iPad minis are part of a four-week trial which the developer hopes will give police more time for crime-fighting…

Report offers inside look at undercover police operation to disrupt stolen iPhone trade

Earlier this year, it was reported that mobile phone thefts had climbed to 300 per day in London, with the iPhone accounting for over half of them. And we’ve heard similar numbers here Stateside, in major cities like New York and Chicago.

But police forces are beginning to fight back, setting up undercover units to try and disrupt the stolen smartphone trade. And a new report out this weekend offers an inside look at such an operation by the San Francisco Police Department…

New document shows extent of the government’s ability to search your iPhone

A new document, submitted to court in connection with a drug investigation, has been discovered that provides a rare look at the amount of data the government can pull from a seized iPhone using advanced forensic tools.

Of course, we all know that phone searches are a common law enforcement tool. But up until now, we’ve mostly been in the dark regarding what information the government can grab with this invasive search technique…

NYPD creates ‘iTheft’ unit for catching iPhone and iPad thieves

We’ve reported on a number of stolen iPhone and iPad cases on iDB over the years. Apple’s gadgets are both popular and expensive, making them the perfect targets for thieves looking for a quick score.

But those thieves better watch out if they ever find themselves on the streets of New York. The city’s police department has assigned a team of cops to work directly with Apple to put a stop to these thefts…

New Zealand police pick iOS over BlackBerry, Android in 10,000 device deal

The New Zealand Police Department has announced that it will be doling out 10,000 iOS devices to its officers over the next few months as part of a new technology push. It says that 6000 of its officers will be receiving iPhones, and 3900 of them will also receive tablets.

According to Police Commissioner Peter Marshall, the decision to go with Apple’s platform came after field testing a range of different devices, including those running Android and BlackBerry operating systems. The deal is said to be worth in upwards of $5 million…

NYPD iPhone app takes crime-fighting mobile

The New York Police Department is pretty tech savvy for a government agency. Last fall, it launched a smartphone registration program to help track down stolen iPhones. And this month, it’s released its own iPhone application.

The app, which is simply titled ‘NYPD,’ sports a number of useful features for New York City residents including a photo gallery of wanted criminals, and breaking news. And you can even use it to submit anonymous crime tips…