From Senator Sherrod Brown's Newsletter
With cell phone theft on the rise – endangering Ohioans and consuming
critical police department resources and time – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown
announced a plan to deter theft by preventing the illegal resale of
stolen phones. He was joined by Euclid City Chief of Police Tom
Brickman, Public Information Officer Sgt. Mitch Houser, as well as
Dennis Kashi, a Northeast Ohio resident whose phone was stolen and has
also spent years working in the cell phone industry with numerous
victims of cell phone theft.
“Too many Northeastern Ohioans have been targeted for crime, just
because of the phone in their pocket or purse,” Sen. Brown said. “With
so much of this criminal activity fueled by the black market, this
legislation will crack down on cell phone theft and impose severe
consequences on thieves who will think twice before trying to make a
quick buck.”
As of last year, about 87 percent of Americans own a cell phone – about 45 percent are smart phones, according to the Pew Research Center. A stolen iPhone can cost up to $849.00 to replace.
Criminals
often target cell phones because they can easily be resold on the black
market. Prior to the establishment of the database, most carriers only
deactivated a stolen cell phone’s SIM card rather than the entire phone.
While carriers entered into an agreement with Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) to launch a database of unique cell phone
identification numbers to allow stolen cell phones to be entirely
deactivated, some criminals are tampering with those unique identifiers –
known as International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers – to
avoid detection.
“The sheer number of thefts and complexity of the associated
investigations have made it difficult for detectives to thoroughly
investigate many of these incidents,” Officer Houser said. “A different,
comprehensive approach is needed to effectively deal with this problem.
Working to eliminate the market for stolen cell phones will be a major
step in reducing cell phone theft and relieving the associated strain on
local law enforcement resources.”
The Mobile Device Theft Deterrence Act of 2013 would impose
criminal penalties of up to five years for criminals who tamper with
cell phone IMEIs in order to circumvent the database. The bill would
provide exceptions for legal alterations made to repair or refurbish
phones or to protect the privacy and security of the end user. The bill
has the full support of CTIA, the Wireless Association, which joined
forces with the FCC to implement the national database.
