NYC Mayor Eric Adams Has the Worst Kia/Hyundai Theft Solution Yet

Photo: Steve DaSilva / Jalopnik

Eric Adams, mayor of New York City, has a lot of big ideas. This city has problems, you see, and he’s going to fix them all using the latest and greatest technology. Remember when he fixed that collapsed parking garage in Manhattan by sending in a robot dog that walked two feet into the rubble and immediately fell over? Now, he’s bringing that same high-tech problem-solving mindset to the rash of Kia and Hyundai thefts, by having the NYPD give people AirTags.

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If that doesn’t sound like much of a solution, well, it isn’t. I use an AirTag to secure my own motorcycle, and I can tell you I’d be upset if it was the best anti-theft solution offered by my local police department. AirTags offer GPS tracking, yes, but their anti-stalking code means they’ll warn any thief that they’re being watched. For my own $30, it’s some nice peace of mind, but when a multibillion dollar police department is footing the bill I expect something better.

Of course, I’m lucky I can use AirTags to track my own bike at all. I’m in deep on the Apple ecosystem — iPhone, Apple Watch, broken MacBook that sits forlornly on my desk. For Android users, those with flip phones, anyone outside of Apple’s walled garden, AirTags simply aren’t an option. To Kia and Hyundai owners who don’t own Apple products, Adams and the NYPD appear to have no solution.

“Solutions” like these are, by now, what we expect from Adams: theoretically helpful in a small percentage of situations, but functionally useless, overpriced, and nonsensical at large. At least he’s not talking about mandating prayer in schools again.