Cell phones hot target for thieves

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - They're portable and sometimes very pricey. That is why, according to police, cell phones are an appealing target to thieves who've made cell phone thefts the number-one strong-armed robbery in Providence.

"About 38% of our robberies are cell phone robberies," said Lt. Robert Lepre, Providence Police Department.

It's a scenario Jessica Grijalva said she knows all to well.

"I felt like crying, I felt like my heart was gonna come out," Grijalva said

"As soon as we stepped outside these guys pulled glocs out on us right to our faces, and they demanded our cell phones," said Justin Candullo, cell phone theft victim.

"Next thing I know, I get socked across the face - I'm down on the ground," said Steve Maalouf, cell phone theft victim.

One after another, Target 12 tracked down victims of brutal beatings and assaults. People like Donald Lyman, who was left hospitalized following a cell phone robbery this year while walking near Smith and Chalkstone Street in Providence.

"I had bruises all over my body and they had knocked one of my teeth out and I had a minor concussion," Lyman said. "I ended up getting hit right back here in the back of my head and over here on the temple."

For several months, the Target 12 Investigators sifted through police reports, finding cell phone thefts aren't just more common; they're actually ranked at the top of the list for strong-armed robberies in Providence. Phones snatched in sometimes brutal attacks, taken because they can be worth hundreds of dollars!

"When he kicked the side of my face, my teeth cut the inside of my mouth, so I was bleeding and I was black and blue around my eye," said Stuart Sweeny, cell phone theft victim.

Providence Police say parents could be putting their kids at risk by giving them a phone. The thieves are targeting anyone with phones where the sim card can be removed, eliminating the database and making it untraceable.

If they don't have sim cards, police said the phones are being used for quick drug deals or other illegal activities before being tossed in the trash.

"We're speaking to police officials in Boston and L.A. and they're experiencing the same type of problems with these cell phone issues," Lepre said. "It's mostly younger adults, teenagers, and they see the cell phone, it's a hot commodity."

Here's a look at what cell phones are going for these days:

A new Palm Treo sells for $549, a Blackberry goes for $449.99, and a Sidekick retails for $409.99.

In fact, it's the Sidekick that accounts for almost half the phones stolen in Providence, 43 percent of the 150 cell phone robberies from July 2007 to October 2008.

Maalouf said, "I wake up in the hospital and I'm thinking wow I went out for a peaceful night to get something to eat, I'm coming back and this is what happens to me?"

Police are issuing a special warning to parents who think they're keeping their kids safe with cell phones. They could actually be making them a target.

"I always keep it in my pocket now. Like I don't even bother to bring it out. Only when I'm like home or somewhere safer," Grijalva said

The problem is so bad in Providence, police reached out to a phone company. Now, they're working together to find a way to track or even disable stolen phones. But while those ideas are developed, police are just trying to make arrests, and they said that's happening in about a third of the cases.