A rash of cell phone and smart phone thefts across the city have police warning phone owners to be vigilant.
In many cases, thieves have stolen phones out of owners' hands, sometimes while the owner is using the phone and distracted by it.
In the downtown area last month, the police learned of 12 robberies of cell phones. In 10 of those cases, the victims had the phones snatched out of their hands. In two of the cases, someone asked to borrow a phone and then ran away with it, said Sgt. William Palmer, a department spokesman.
Police encouraged phone owners to download software -- available for some phones but not all -- that allows the owner to track the phone or make it useless if it's stolen.
Other tips:
1. Record your phone's serial number. It can help police recover the phone.
2. Before anything happens, install or activate a function to find your phone in the event it's stolen.
3. Report a stolen phone to police. Call 911. In some cases, a 911 operator may send you to 311 to complete the report.
4. Pay attention to your surroundings.
5. Call 911 on suspicious activity.
6. If you witness a theft or robbery, call 911 and stay around to provide officers with a suspect description.
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