HAMMOND — Officials are hoping to crack down on cellphone theft with a new ordinance adopted last month.
The ordinance impacts how cellphone stores, retail stores and pawn stores deal with cellphones brought into their businesses to be unlocked.
Anyone who unlocks, or attempts to unlock, a cellphone or tablet in exchange for a fee has to require the person making the request to provide a driver's license or other acceptable identification. No minors are allowed to sell any electronic device without parental consent.
In addition, data identifying the mobile device has to be recorded and forwarded to the Police Department, including the name and address of the person offering the unlocking service. No phone or tablet may be cleared of personal data, or "wiped," for a period of 24 hours, or one business day, to allow time for the unit to be reported as stolen and located with a phone application.
Police Chief John Doughty said recently no phones have been recovered yet as a result of the new ordinance. He noted the hope is the new ordinance will deter theft.
Doughty also said he had not received any negative feedback from vendors since the adoption of the ordinance last month.
The ordinance was strongly backed by Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. who indicated he wanted to see unscrupulous cellphone companies driven out of business.
Officials noted that stolen cellphones potentially could be taken to stores in nearby communities. McDermott said the city planned to forward a copy of Hammond's ordinance to other Northwest Indiana communities as a way to prevent that from happening.