Kids need stolen iPads back, group steps in to replace them
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WILSONVILLE, Ore. – Burglars have hit a local nonprofit school twice, stealing nearly a dozen iPads which is technology the students at the school depend on to help them learn.
Most of the iPads were stolen over the weekend during the latest in a series of burglaries at Victory Academy. On Thursday, a local non-profit group said they will pay to replace the stolen tablet computers.
The school is the only one in Oregon that specifically teaches kids with autism. The school's 28 students use specially-designed applications on the iPads to help develop speech and manual dexterity.
"They're able to type out their thoughts and feelings when maybe they can't say them verbally," said Thea Schreiber who works at the academy. "But then the iPad will say them verbally for them and so it gives these kids a voice where in the past they never had one."
Nothing was taken during a break-in at the school this past summer. But then in September thieves broke in again and stole two iPads.
The Bald Faced Truth Foundation said they would fund the replacement of the stolen iPads. Oregonian sports columnist John Canzano is president of the organization. Canzano said he saw the story on KATU News and the group's board quickly agreed to fund the replacement of the iPads.
The school installed some alarms but this past weekend the burglars were back. They kicked in the door to a locked room, broke open a charging cabinet and took another eight iPads.
"It's definitely hard to put into words. It's kind of like rips your gut apart to know that people would actually do that. It's very disheartening to know that there's people out there that can actually do this," said Sven Aspen who has a son enrolled at Victory Academy. "These people must have no idea what they're doing and who they're doing it to because these kids are society's most vulnerable."
Until the new iPads arrive, children whose families have iPads are sharing them with other students. Money for the school to replace the iPads is tight. Outside of tuition, the only source of funding they have is their annual fundraiser in May at Portland's Benson Hotel.
The burglars apparently knew enough to not only know where the iPads were being stored – because no other rooms were broken into – but they also ripped the newly-installed alarm system off the wall inside the storage room.
Police don't have any leads in the burglary yet. They hope to track the stolen iPads if they're ever turned on and connected to the Internet.
We first learned about the thefts through a news tip. If there's news happening where you live, let us know. Send us an email to newstips@katu.com. Your email will go directly to our newsroom.
Track 'em or brick 'em, if "Find My iPad" is installed. Or perhaps brick 6 and try to track the others and catch the culprits.
Apple needs to come up with something that will identify a stolen iPad, iPhone, laptop that only they know about so that no one else can figure it out. Once police tell them that a device has been stolen then Apple can turn on the tracking mechanism and once it connects to the internet it secretly takes a picture of the person using it and identifies their location.
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While nothing is ever hack proof it would go a long ways to making Apple products less desirable for thieves.
@RalphCramden Actually what is needed is schools that use proper security to protect valuable merchandise. How many news items have there been in the last year or two related to computer theft at schools? Quite a few. You would think the schools would learn. The schools should also have insurance. When the public, either through taxes or donations, purchases items for schools there is an expectation that the schools will value and take care of it. In far too many cases they don't.
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I agree. It appears that they had reasonable security measures in place here with a security system and a two locked doors it wasn't enough. My guess was that the door to the computer room was pretty flimsy at best and easily defeated.
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The room should have a solid core door that opens inward (so hinge pins can't be pulled) and a commercial bolt lock.
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Plus security cameras should be in place with a batter backup so that if they cut the power the cameras still work. I have that at my home. It's not all that expensive to set up.
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Insurance is always good but more than likely they have a high deductible to keep the rates down like I do.
<<They hope to track the stolen iPads if they're ever turned on and connected to the Internet.\>>Â
However if you DO NOT go on the net when you first steal a iPad, there are ways to make the iPad UNTRACEABLE.. (there is a multitude of ways to make it untraceable.. I know for I have a iPhone, iPad and a MBA.. the latter 2 (two) as gifts..)
 @quackerbacker Well by all means, post the directions, or links or anything else that might help the low lifes out.
Such a contradictory belief.. Whoever is doing it must not know who they are doing it to. And, Whoever did it knew where to go and where the alarms were. Apparently they do know and don't care, which makes them real low down jerks, on top of being thieves.
this is horrible. I have 2 cousins with autism. I hope the thieves are caught and have a lesson beat into them. Sorry this is a very touchy subject for a lot of people.
I hope that someone turns these scum in, but only after they've been 'educated' in what they did is wrong
Lowlife individuals to say the least! I hope someone catches them, and adjusts their attitude on life.
Inside job?
"The burglars apparently knew enough to not only know where the iPads were being stored â because no other rooms were broken into â but they also ripped the newly-installed alarm system off the wall inside the storage room." Â Â (from the story)
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Cold as it sounds, I'd guess either an inside job, or maybe someone connected with the installers of the alarm system... wouldn't even have to be directly (eg: by an employee)... maybe just somebody saying something to someone else... Â
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Seems like there's more and more of this kind of stuff going on lately... just rotten; no other way to describe it..!
 @margay1 That was my thought, too--or maybe a janitor or something they contract to clean the school? regardless, it's horrible that someone would steal anything from a school, let alone a school that teaches disabled children.
 @MissLissaJ ~  Janitor or cleaning service... yeah, those are also very good possibilities... and it wouldn't be the first time it's ever happened..!
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I absolutely HATE thieves..!
That is so horrific. I hope they are able to track the ipads. People are such lowlifes sometimes.
I think apple once reported stolen the iPAds should or could be locked with there unique identifier code.