The black market for electronic devices has been flourishing by theft from cafes and public transit within the Bay Area.
While the California Department of Justice records state that robbery, theft (larceny), and property crimes have fallen, BART has seen electronic device theft crimes up by nearly 50-percent.
UC Berkeley warns students and customers of cafes to be wary of their surroundings for laptop thieves.
Aside from keeping an eye out in order to prevent electronic device theft, one can purchase a device which locks their laptops to a fixed object or table (“K Lock”), have a friend sit with their device while stepping away, and ensuring to store their electronics out of plain sight when transporting them in personal vehicles/.
