Apple Investigators Posed as Police in New Lost iPhone Prototype Search?

http://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/02/apple-investigators-posed-as-police-in-new-lost-iphone-prototype-search/

by antr • 15 years ago

63 62 15 years ago

macrumors.com

pinko2• 15 years ago

I'm a big fan of Apple tech, but if this turns out to be true, I hope they throw the book at Apple.

antr• 15 years ago

100% agree

sliverstorm3• 15 years ago

Personally, I hope the book is thrown by someone impersonating a judge.

cbs• 15 years ago

Just like Patent Trolling, Apple seems to have taken the "OK If we do it" approach to Impersonating An Officer.

divtxt• 15 years ago

This comment reminded me to check Gruber. Sure enough: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2011/09/02/iphone-5

Translation from Gruber-speak:

> Nice reporting by Peter Jamison at SF Weekly

Let's think positive things about people.

> Cook’s first crisis at the helm?

Let's think of this as a management challenge for post-Jobs Apple. (and not as Apple breaking the law)

> UPDATE: SF police now confirm they were involved.

The police were there so obviously nothing illegal happened! Move along, nothing to see...

----

Can't wait to read Gruber's full editorial if this story blows up. :)

edits: wording, formatting

CurtHagenlocher• 15 years ago

I'm calling it first: "This would never have happened under Jobs". If true, of course.

crenshaw2• 15 years ago

Calderón got in touch with us yesterday in an effort to clarify who, exactly, had searched his home on an evening in July.

This did happen under Jobs -- if true.

ktsmith5• 15 years ago

Jobs has been on medical leave since January and Tim Cook has been acting as CEO since then. Jobs just stepped aside completely in August by resigning.

cryptoz• 15 years ago

What's going on with Apple and shady legal dealings recently? It appears they are faking evidence in European courts; that should be a criminal offense. It appears they are impersonating police officers - that IS a criminal offense.

Is the media I'm reading biased? Is this all actually happening? What turned Apple into a crime or near-crime committing business? This is all very weird.

dmethvin• 15 years ago

Anthony Colon worked for the San Jose Police Department for 26 years and retired in 2010 to take a job with Apple doing security. So I wonder if he'll argue that he told Calderon something to the effect of "I'm (mumble)was with the police" and was simply misunderstood? I don't think it will work.

Also, although it doesn't excuse their behavior, Calderon was crazy for letting them search without a warrant.

starpilot3• 15 years ago

The fact that Colon deleted his LinkedIn profile very recently is a huge red flag.

eykanal• 15 years ago

I think the likelihood of this story being even close to 100% true is very remote. Yes, Apple likes to keep their secrets closely guarded. Yes, they go to extreme legal lengths, including intimidating the press (and early-access developers), takedown notices to blogs, and all other sorts of tight-lipped requirements on their employees.

This claim, however, this is so far beyond the normal realm of large company behavior that it's absurd. It's most likely that a good portion of what was reported is inaccurate.

extension• 15 years ago

The orders didn't necessarily come from the top. Could have been this ex-cop guy taking matters into his own hands.

jonknee2• 15 years ago

Looks like it's not so far fetched, the SFPD has now admitted that they stood by while Apple staff searched the home. The only remaining piece is if they identified themselves properly.

Even without more information, this is extraordinarily embarrassing for both the SFPD and Apple. What other companies get policing privileges?

itg• 15 years ago

Well we should wait and find out the truth, apparently SFPD is investigating this right now, instead of jumping to conclusions and sensationalizing everything as the tech media loves to do to get every last page hit possible.

As for the European court thing, the judge had pics and the tablets in front of him so that turned out to be a whole bunch of nothing, they didn't decide the case on those drawings.

sliverstorm3• 15 years ago

Just because fraud in court didn't swing a case doesn't mean it wasn't fraud.

trotsky• 15 years ago

I think it's pretty reasonable to assume that if this did happen it was probably a case of an individual/team going too far and not some shift in Apple writ large. If you saw a night manager at Wendy's punch someone in the face you wouldn't assume it was corporate policy.

jonknee2• 15 years ago

Though considering who it was, it would be more like the head of security for Wendy's corporate punching someone while investigating a theft.

darksaga• 15 years ago

Anybody else feel like both of these stories (this one and the one from last year regarding the iphone 4) were planted? My BS meter is going off like crazy.

pavel_lishin• 15 years ago

The fact that the victim doesn't appear to have talked to the police is a bad sign.

ktsmith5• 15 years ago

Not really, if he honestly thought that the people that came to his door were police officers he would initially have had no reason to reach out to the police. Even after it's brought to his attention by the reporter, he might still think he doesn't need to call the police since the reporter has talked to them. It might occur to you or I to call the police and file a compliant or ask for an investigation but someone that has been threatened or isn't familiar with their rights might not. He did let six people with "some kind of badges" and no warrant search his property after all. That could mean he felt threatened (he said they made threatening comments) or simply didn't know what his rights were in that scenario.

From my reading of the sf weekly blog I didn't realize that the police weren't investigating until I read the third update as the other posts all sounded like the SFPD was already doing an investigation. http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/09/lost_iphone_5_ap...

beej71• 15 years ago

Know how to recognize an Apple officer!

Is there a blue glow pulsing from the officer's eyes in time with your breathing?

When questioned about his identity, does the officer inflate and spin a beachball before answering?

Does the officer have rounded corners?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you might be speaking with a member of the Apple Police Force. Beware!

camperman• 15 years ago

Hahahahha - genius. I can hardly type this from laughing. Thanks :)

gfodor• 15 years ago

What do you call the black rods of steel in your prison cell window in Apple Police Headquarters?

Genius bars.

jwcooper3• 15 years ago

Before we all jump over Apple, this could just be one guy going somewhat 'rogue', and forgetting he's a retired police officer, and not an Apple Investigator in the private sector. If what is written is true, this investigator likely has a lot of explaining to do.

The conspiracist in me thinks the SF police dept worked with him, but didn't want it on the record for some reason, and will just shuffle the investigation under the rug.

jm42• 15 years ago

The article specifically says that 6 people are alleged to have shown up with badges, claiming to be with the police. So it can't be explained away as one old nutjob reliving the glory days of busting down doors and roughing up perps.

That said, we do need more information. The entire basis for this story is one person's account and the actual police saying they had nothing to do with it. The only corroborating evidence is a phone number that the "police" left that belongs to an Apple employee. The again, who knows how he actually got the number.

It's too early to jump all over Apple based on so little evidence, but the whole thing sounds pretty shady. If it does turn out they did this they need to suffer.

jwcooper3• 15 years ago

Good points, not sure why I disregarded the 6 other people at the door.

Although, it is a bit odd that after all this, he (Calderon) still hasn't reached out to the SFPD, as indicated in the SF Weekly's latest updates.

starpilot3• 15 years ago

Oh geez. The "few bad apples" defense. The iPhone 5 is such a white-hot priority at Apple, I'd be surprised if this investigation somehow did not shoot up like lightning through the chain of command.

jwcooper3• 15 years ago

Yea, it's pretty weak, and I'm sure the executives gave some ultimatums to the security team. Who knows though, when bonuses are on the line people will do some crazy things.

uptown• 15 years ago

Is there any proof substantiating this guy's claim that a search even happened?

51Cards• 15 years ago

He gave the (former) police officer's name and phone number to the newspaper... so he got it somehow?

killion3• 15 years ago

Yeah, thats the sticky part about this. Because the story has changed and it's corroborated I'm inclined not to believe it. But having that guys info is odd, although he was on LinkedIn.

killion3• 15 years ago

Doesn't it seem like the guy who claims this happened could be lying? His story did change once the SFPD said it wasn't them.

arn• 15 years ago

I think his story is still consistent. He said SFPD came to his house. SF Weekly said, they actually didn't. So he said, well, people who said they were SFPD came to my house, and here's their number. It's the number of an Apple security person.

killion3• 15 years ago

In the SF Weekly article they have him contacting them after the SFPD denied involvement.

jm42• 15 years ago

Sure, he could be lying. There is very little to substantiate his account. But there is nothing in the article about his story changing once the SFPD said it wasn't them.

jemfinch• 15 years ago

Why in the world would you voluntarily allow police or purported police to search your apartment?

philwelch• 15 years ago

Because they wear uniforms and carry guns, and don't make it seem like you have a choice.

tdfx• 15 years ago

Very true. Most people don't understand how to properly resist police intimidation until they've already been victimized from it.

pinko2• 15 years ago

As someone pointed out in another thread, they reportedly threatened his family's immigration status. That's a big stick, and one routinely used by real cops (i.e., it was reasonable of him to believe they'd retaliate unfairly if he asserted his rights). I don't blame him for complying under the circumstances, even though it's outrageous that he was asked to (whether they were fake cops or not).

starpilot3• 15 years ago

Because people fuck up when nervous and scared? How many people do you think have said they would challenge an airplane hijacker? They would rescue someone from a burning building? They would donate to charity? Then how many actually did?

dave_sullivan• 15 years ago

George Aaronow: When I talk to the police I get nervous.

Ricky Roma: Yes. You know who doesn't?

George Aaronow: Who?

Ricky Roma: Thieves.

hga• 15 years ago

They threatened to go after his family (make trouble WRT to immigration). A whole bunch of very strong and savvy people have folded when the authorities (or apparently those posing as such in this case) do that, e.g. Michael Milken of junk bond fame.

How strong would you be in insisting on your rights when that might ruin the live of a loved one?

lawnchair_larry• 15 years ago

It's more troubling that he is a retired police officer.

I'm sure he never did anything shady or in violation of people's rights, or threaten/intimidate immigrants during his previous 25 years on the force. Surely that behavior only started a few months ago when he joined Apple

sliverstorm3• 15 years ago

Well, as for the 'posing as police', If you spent your life on the force, after you retire it might sometimes be difficult to refrain from "impersonating an officer".

fuzzythinker• 15 years ago

Why is a possibly false rumor that has nothing to do with hacking & startups on the front page the whole day?

EDIT: If you agree with me, down vote on the story instead of upvoting this. Otherwise, I would have just done the opposite of my intention.

terrapinbear• 15 years ago

How does one get to walk around with the next iPhone prototype in a bar in the first place?

tvon• 15 years ago

from http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/09/iphone_5_apple_p...

> San Francisco Police Department spokesman Lt. Troy Dangerfield now tells SF Weekly that "three or four" SFPD officers accompanied two Apple security officials in an unusual search of a Bernal Heights man's home.

The SFPD says they were there.

Apple Investigators Posed as Police in New Lost iPhone Prototype Search?

Related Stories