Crime Watch: the "iPod Effect”
A cautionary tale reminding us to look beyond simple statistics: While crime overall has dropped in Los Angeles under the leadership of LA Police Chief William Bratton, this year, robberies are suddenly spiking. The cause of the rise in thefts isn't gangs, or lawbreakers released early from overcrowded jails. It's..... iPods---plus other top-of-the-line handheld electronic gear like Razr phones. It seems that kids are jacking them from each other at an alarming rate. The phenom is by no means limited to LA. In New York, police attributed a nearly 10% increase in robberies in the subway system to the so-called “ iPod effect.” London reports a related rise. UC Irvine criminology expert, George E. Tita, sagely suggests that iPod thieves have an advantage because iTunes listeners often "tune out their surroundings." ANDREW BLANKSTEIN and RICHARD WINTON for the Los Angeles Times