NFL Employees Have iPads Swiped In Dallas

Added on Jan 27, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

Super Bowl

This story may not have anything to do specifically to do with online betting or related topics, but does provide us with several valuable lessons. A couple of NFL employees in Dallas to get things ready for the Super Bowl have had their iPads and laptops swiped. And since it happened during the run up to the Super Bowl, it was reported as news in the local media which forced the Dallas Police Department to issue a statement reaffirming the overall security of the area.

The iPad website Pad Gadget provides these chilling details. I’ve added some emphasis for instructional purposes down the road:

The Dallas Morning News reported that two NFL employees in town to prepare some of the Super Bowl activities had their iPad and laptops stolen. This latest theft comes only weeks after a laptop was stolen from the car of another NFL employee. The laptop had the artwork used for security credentials needed to get into the Super Bowl and other events. That theft forced the NFL to change the artwork of badges before the big event.

Dallas police investigating the latest theft of the NFL employee’s iPad said they believe it was a crime of opportunity as the device was left unattended at a local Starbucks. The NFL employees were working on the NFL Experience at the Dallas Convention Center which is one of the Super Bowl lead attractions. Dallas police stated that, “After talking with the victims, it was determined that neither the laptops nor the iPad contained any information that would compromise or jeopardize the security of any Super Bowl related events.”

There was no video surveillance available at the location of the crime and police currently have no leads as to who may have made off with the NFL employees’ iPad and laptops. Police do not believe the two events are related.

Oh, but it gets better…this from the Dallas Morning News once again with my emphasis:

Two NFL employees prepping the Dallas Convention Center for the NFL Experience had two laptops and an Apple iPad stolen on Sunday. Dallas police are investigating the theft. A DPD statement says that the unnamed employees left the items unattended for about 25 minutes and that whoever stole the items probably didn’t know who the owners were. The thefts were not caught on video. “After talking with the victims, it was determined that neither the laptops nor the iPad contained any information that would compromise or jeopardize the security of any Super Bowl related events,” the police statement says.

Not sure what is the most stupid thing about this story–the fact that the NFL employees were dumb enough to leave their iPad unattended at an unfamiliar coffee shop for TWENTY FIVE MINUTES, or that the police felt compelled to treat it like there was some sort of major ‘crime wave’ in the area. But it does provide us with what parents and educators call ‘a teachable moment’:

1) No one cares, nor are they impressed because you work for the NFL or any other company: If you leave your swag unattended at Starbucks, or leave your laptop in the car there’s a good chance it’s going to get stolen. Maybe the NFL employees thought that they had some sort of primal musk that would scare off would be thieves because of their association with the league. Or the more likely scenario, they’re not very smart….which leads us to…

2) If you’re in Starbucks, don’t leave your iPad unattended: I’ve worked in coffee shops all over the world for years and I’ve never had anything stolen. That’s because I’m not self absorbed and/or stupid enough to think it won’t happen to me. Leaving your iPad unattended while you grab a muffin or hit the can is inexcusable–the very portability that makes it such an easy target for thieves also means you can slip it under your arm while you take care of business. If you’ve got your laptop, what I usually do if I need to get up is unplug it and stick it under my arm.

3) Don’t leave expensive tech gadgets unattended in public for a half hour: If you’re dumb enough to leave your laptop and iPad unattended pretty much anywhere but your own home or office for 25 minutes do us all a favor. Just box them up and send them to me care of Sports Betting World. I’ll make sure to give them to someone who’ll get good use out of them and isn’t a blithering idiot. Let’s return to one of the lines I highlighted above: whoever stole the items probably didn’t know who the owners were. Sure they did–they knew the owners were someone who was dumb enough to leave their iPad and laptop unattended in a public place for almost a half hour.

4) Law enforcement in our country has gone mad with ‘security concerns’: It doesn’t matter if you’re in Dallas for a preseason game, a hardware convention or the Super Bowl. It doesn’t matter if you work for the NFL or one of the fine ‘gentlemen’s clubs’. If you leave your swag unattended, there’s a good chance its getting swiped. Of course this fundamental rule of criminal nature didn’t stop the Dallas Police Department from feeling compelled to release a ‘remain calm’ type statement assuring us that the operational security for the Super Bowl hasn’t been compromised. The NFL, of course, plays their part in this paranoia. The idea that some wino that happens upon an unattended laptop is going to use the security credential design to mastermind some elaborate plot against the Super Bowl suggests that they’ve all been watching too many movies.

The current NFL odds on Super Bowl XLV have the Packers installed as a -2′ point favorite. The odds that your iPad will get swiped if you take it to Starbucks and leave it unattended for a half hour is better than even money.