Committee on Finance
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6(a); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to its home rule power, the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs including the power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, according to the Federal Communications Commission, cell phone thefts comprise between 30 and 40 percent of all robberies nationwide; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, 1.6 million Americans were victimized in incidents related to cell phone thefts; and
WHEREAS, more than 40% of all robberies in New York City involve cell phones; and
WHEREAS, cell phones are taken in 38% of all robberies in Washington D.C.; and
WHEREAS, according to the Illinois Attorney General, cell phone thefts at public transit locations in Chicago have increased more that 30% in recent years; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, a 68-year-old woman died after being shoved down the stairs at the CTA's Fullerton Brown Line station by a 17-year-old who fled with an iPhone he stole on a train; and
WHEREAS, manufacturers and carriers have the ability to end the growing number of cell phone thefts with a technological solution; and
WHEREAS, the implementation of a "kill switch" would render stolen devices inoperable on any network, anywhere in the world; and
WHEREAS, such a feature would disable stolen devices even if they are turned off or their subscriber identification modules have been removed; and
WHEREAS, by eliminating the ability for stolen devices to be reactivated, the incentive to steal them would be eliminated; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago intends to require cell phones sold within the city to be equipped with a remote antitheft feature in order to protect the health and safety of its residents; NOW THEREFORE
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE C...
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