NYPD Podcasts on NY's Most Stolen Devices

The voice of the NYPD can now be heard via podcast. Brief updates can be downloaded individually, or can be delivered to your desk of iPod by subscription.

The first installment includes traffic advisories and a phone-in interview with one of the many policemen who went to the New Orleans area to aid in the rescue and cleanup. The report was a bit stilted, but after a few podcasts it should become more comfortable.

Not too long ago the police reported that crime was down, except for the theft of iPods on the subway. As recently as last week I heard a warning over the subway’s intercom for riders to keep their phones put away, and not to display iPod or other electronic devices due to theft.

What spurred the concept of offering podcasts to visitors of the NYPD Web site? Was it the increase in theft of iPods, or was somebody on the force or the public affairs department forward thinking enough to make it happen? Either way, an NYPD podcast could potentially end up in the hands of a thief with a freshly stolen iPod. Is there any way to use the medium to shame subway pickpockets?