Tech Talk: Protecting Your Phone | Video

Jerame Novak | 4/12/2012

With smartphones, you can do just about anything: take pictures, shoot video, surf the web and even shop online. What if your phone suddenly disappeared? What would you do then?

Smartphones can cost a lot of money to replace. Combine their value with a possibility to access your personal information and they can be a tempting target for theft.

"You have to imagine that cell phone as being a stack of hundred dollar bills right there. Would you leave that stack of hundred dollar bills just sitting on your seat or your dashboard or in plain sight? Absolutely not," said Officer Nolan Canright with the Bismarck Police.

According to the Bismarck Police, theft from vehicles has increased by over 80 percent in 2011 and a quarter of the phones stolen in Bismarck were taken from vehicles.

So how can you keep your phone safe?

Password-protecting your phone, keeping personal information off of it and having the ability to remotely wipe your data can be helpful. Also, location apps like "Find My iPhone" can help police locate your phone faster.

"You come in here and you say, `Officer Canright, someone stole my my phone, or it went missing, I believe it`s stolen. However, I see it`s at such-and-such location.` We can then use that to help us. Whether it`s get a warrant for the location or to go help recover your phone. You should never do that alone because you never know who you`re going to confront," Canright said.

He adds that if you do things like take your valuables with you, lock your doors and park in well lit areas, you can help take away the opportunity for theft.

"If we can prevent the criminal from taking our property, than we can prevent the majority of our thefts. Including cell phone thefts in our city."

Your phone is very valuable, so it`s important to keep it safe.

If your phone does get stolen, you should report it to both your provider and police. Police say never track it down on your own.

The Bismarck Police reminds people to keep personal information (Social Security Number, address, etc.) off of their phone and don`t save or store passwords to your browser. If your phone goes missing, you can file a police report online through the Bismarck Police website.

Click here for some more tips from the FCC.

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