sfpd patchCNET reports that the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) has launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the search for a prototype iPhone that went missing from a San Francisco bar in late July.

The case resulted in a significant amount of publicity after the SFPD initially reported that it had no record of any investigation into the disappearance or participation in a search of a house identified as where the lost iPhone had been tracked to. That claim led to suggestions that Apple's own security personnel may have posed as police officers, but the SFPD later acknowledged that it did participate in the search, accompanying Apple security officers to the house but not actively searching the premise themselves.

Police here have begun looking into what role officers played in a search by Apple for a missing unreleased iPhone.

Lt. Troy Dangerfield, of the San Francisco Police Department, told CNET today that an internal investigation has begun into determining how officers assisted two Apple security employees in their July search of a home in the Bernal Heights neighborhood for the handset.

The investigation is official confirmation that the SFPD is interested in learning the full story behind the search and whether there was any improper activity by either police officers or Apple's security team. The subject of the search has indicated that he was led to believe that all of those involved in the search were police officers, and would not have consented to the search had he known that the investigators conducting the search were private security personnel. The subject has also alleged that officers attempted to intimidate him by questioning the immigration status of those living in the house, threatening "trouble" despite his claims that all members of the household are in the United States legally.

Tag: CNET

Top Rated Comments

Celtic-moniker Avatar
172 months ago
There's three things i find interesting about what all you guys are writing.

Firstly, most of what I'm seeing here is utter rubbish. 'Apple employee posed as police'. What the? Talk about jumping to conclusions, and then pretending that they are facts.

Secondly. Where the hell is the phone? It's been a week... Do you honestly mean to tell me that all these PC magazines have been calling this guy, and the only thing he's had to say about the device, is to make some offhand remarks about the search of his house? Oh. Come. On! They guy has seen an iPhone prototype! Or, at the very least, an existing device that has prototype unreleased applications on it. So, why have we heard absolutely nil detail. And why isn't everyone surprised at this?

Third, there's a lot of people that seem determined to jump in and just call apple 'the bad guy'. I'm wondering if you have evidence of the entire company coercing or putting pressure on the SFPD to act 'legally illegally'. (sorry guys, the dude volunteered a search of his house, it's still legal). About the worst that could be said about this, is that no one told the guy that they were Apple employees. Yep. Lets hold Apple responsible for the police not upholding the law to all of your standards.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gasu E. Avatar
172 months ago
Fixed.

Let's be accurate.

A lot of allegations, and none so far from a reliable source.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
*LTD* Avatar
172 months ago
Quite a serious alleged breach of ethics and abuse of power.

Fixed.

Let's be accurate.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
*LTD* Avatar
172 months ago


Wait, I thought the haters were just blowing this out of proportion? I think I need an Apple apologist (ie LTD) to explain this latest development to me.

There's nothing to explain. Nothing happened yet.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
416049 Avatar
172 months ago
There's nothing to explain. Nothing happened yet.
Exactly so I don't get what the hype is about, if apple would have been smart they would have done this a lot more undercover...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Consultant Avatar
172 months ago
FACT:
The guy was at the bar the phone was "lost" (aka stolen).
The phone was traced to the guy's house.
The guy agreed to be searched.

Possibility:
Ie he stole it, he probably already got rid of it, after searching "how to sell iPhone prototype" and came upon the iPhone 4 prototype news.
Being a greedy bastard, he's now trying to get some money for it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Thursday October 31, 2024 9:42 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well. ...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 Cinema 4D Slack Finder Xcode 1

Apple Announces MacBook Pro Models With M4 Pro and M4 Max Chips, Thunderbolt 5 Support, and More

Wednesday October 30, 2024 8:01 am PDT by
Apple today announced new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models featuring M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, alongside a new entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the M4 chip. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new M4 Pro and M4 Max machines come with a minimum of 24GB of Unified Memory as standard, up from 18GB in the previous models. Both models feature three...
M4 Pro on Blue

M4 Pro Chip Benchmark Results Reveal an Extremely Impressive Performance Feat

Thursday October 31, 2024 7:06 pm PDT by
The first Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the M4 Pro chip surfaced today. Impressively, the results that are available so far show that the highest-end M4 Pro chip is faster than the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Here is a comparison of the results: Mac mini with M4 Pro (14-core CPU): 22,094 multi-core score (average of 11 results) Mac Studio...
m3 macbook air blue

Apple Announces MacBook Air Now Starts With Increased 16GB of RAM With No Price Increase

Wednesday October 30, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple today in its new MacBook Pro press release announced that the MacBook Air lineup now starts with 16GB of RAM, up from 8GB previously. This change applies to the 13-inch model with the M2 chip, the 13-inch model with the M3 chip, and the 15-inch model with the M3 chip. In the U.S., the MacBook Air lineup continues to start at $999, so there is no price increase associated with the...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces Redesigned Mac Mini With M4 and M4 Pro Chips, Two Front USB-C Ports, and More

Tuesday October 29, 2024 8:01 am PDT by
Apple today announced fully redesigned Mac mini models featuring the M4 and M4 Pro chips, a considerably smaller casing, two front-facing USB-C ports, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and more. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The product refresh marks the first time the Mac mini has been redesigned in over a decade. The enclosure now measures just five by five inches...
Apple iPhone SE 4 5G Modem 1

iPhone SE 4 First to Get Apple-Designed 5G Modem, iPhone 17 Pro to Add Custom Wi-Fi 7 Chip

Friday November 1, 2024 4:04 am PDT by
The iPhone SE 4 that's set to come out early next year is expected to debut Apple's first in-house 5G modem, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. In a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said Apple is expected to roll out its custom-made 5G modem starting with the next-generation...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

Skipping the New MacBook Pro? Here Are Two Bigger Changes Rumored

Thursday October 31, 2024 4:00 pm PDT by
While the new MacBook Pro lineup features faster M4 chip options, Thunderbolt 5 support for higher-end configurations, a nano-texture display option, and more, most of the previous MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon chips still offer the latest overall design, and fast performance, which might lead you to avoid upgrading this year. If you are planning to skip the new MacBook Pro, here are ...