Reside in Washington D.C.? You would possibly have the ability to get free AirTags to your automotive

The town of Washington D.C. will distribute free Apple AirTags to residents in sure neighborhoods, mayor Muriel Bowser introduced on Wednesday. The intention: to make stolen automobiles simpler for police to trace down.

“We’re equipping residents with know-how that may permit the [Metropolitan Police Department] to deal with these crimes, get better automobiles, and maintain individuals accountable,” Bowser stated in a statement, “we’ll proceed to make use of all of the instruments we’ve got, and add new instruments, to maintain our metropolis secure.” Native publication DCist first reported the story.

D.C. residents in neighborhoods with the very best numbers of auto theft shall be eligible to get free AirTags at three totally different occasions within the metropolis over the subsequent few months, beginning subsequent week. It’s not clear what number of AirTags, which value $29 a pop, shall be given away.

Law enforcement officials will assist residents put the AirTags of their automobiles and register them on their iPhones. If a automotive is stolen, residents might want to report the situation of the automotive because it seems in Apple’s FindMy app to regulation enforcement.

D.C. is the second metropolis at hand out free AirTags to make discovering automotive thieves simpler. Earlier this 12 months, New York Metropolis mayor Eric Adams announced that the town would give away 500 AirTags to make discovering automotive thieves simpler. Since then the NYPD has held a number of AirTag and Tile tracker giveaways, specializing in Kia and Hyundai homeowners, although it is unclear if these come from the identical provide introduced by the mayor.

AirTags, which Apple launched in 2021, have typically sparked controversy. Critics have said that they let stalkers monitor victims silently with out their data — a security subject Apple finally addressed. However the gadgets have additionally been helpful, letting individuals maintain monitor of pets, checked baggage and stolen campaign signs.