[robmiller]

One problem is that a stolen iPhone is a >$1000 crime, in fact it passes the $950 threshold to be a felony in California[1]. Police don't have the resources to deal with every stolen phone.

When iPhones were new, my cousin was a police officer in a high school. Every time a kid stole an iPhone it was a felony on their juvenile record, and no one wanted that.

[1] https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/criminal-def...