San Francisco Police Now Says They Did Assist Apple Search for Lost iPhone

POST

MAIL

Posted September 3, 2011 at 1:36am by iClarified

Contrary to previous statements, the San Francisco Police Department now says it did assist Apple in searching for a missing iPhone prototype, reports SF Weekly.

An earlier report suggested that Apple may have impersonated police officers to enter and search the home of Sergio Calderón. The 22 year-old claimed that six individuals showed up to his door and identified themselves as SFPD but the police denied any involvement.

San Francisco Police Department spokesman Lt. Troy Dangerfield now tells SF Weekly that "three or four" SFPD officers accompanied two Apple security officials to Calderón's home.

Dangerfield says that, after conferring with Apple and the captain of the Ingleside police station, he has learned that plainclothes SFPD officers went with private Apple detectives to the home of Sergio Calderón, a 22-year-old resident of Bernal Heights. According to Dangerfield, the officers "did not go inside the house," but stood outside while the Apple employees scoured Calderón's home, car, and computer files for any trace of the lost iPhone 5. The phone was not found, and Calderón denies that he ever possessed it.

It's unclear if Apple ever did manage to find the device. If not, there really could be an iPhone 5 prototype in the wild.

Read More

San Francisco Police Now Says They Did Assist Apple Search for Lost iPhone

Follow iClarified

smate333 - September 4, 2011 at 5:02pm

I am very disappointed with the SFPD handling this situation. They should have realized Apple is using this as a publicity stunt to repeat the success of last years iphone 4 prototype case. It is obvious that a $billion company like Apple would be able to make sure their proto-products don't leak, unless they intend to. I am certain that the four SFPD officers sent out to secure the Apple investigators could have been assigned for higher priority cases instead of being tricked into performing an illegal warrantless house search with intimidating citizens to make Apple famous again. SFPD should sue Apple for purposely organizing this stunt and give bad reputation for a respective police station.

Reply · Like

Omar - September 3, 2011 at 2:00pm

It's just mobile phone.

David - September 3, 2011 at 11:01am

Without a search warrant, why did Sergio let an Apple Rent-a-cop go through his computer and his private property? Obviously, he agreed to it. SFPD and the Rent-a-cop must have been pretty persuasive.

SFPD - September 3, 2011 at 9:30am

UPDATE: San Fran PD change their minds one last time, retracting their previous statement and now claiming to have had no involvement in this infringement of private property and personal belongings. Officers at SFPD deemed this article to be too god dam obvious that the true authority, Apple, had had a word with them since the public explosion of their initial, truthfull, denial regarding SFPD involvement. In a unanimous decision they retract this article.

Maded - September 3, 2011 at 2:38am

Find My iPhone worked just fine for me when I lost my 4. Left it at my girl's house. Too bad there was another guy there when I popped in unannounced to pick it up. At least I got my phone back...

David - September 3, 2011 at 1:54am

Big brother.

David - September 3, 2011 at 1:50am

If Apple can pinpoint a lost IPhone 5 prototype, why can't they do that for the rest of us? I lost my 3GS on the train and Find My iPhone was worthless.