Cell phone crime

I had no idea how much trouble cell phones cause until I took this job.  All of my colleagues are in agreement with me (as are the solicitors) that a lot of domestic violence cases seem to stem from cell phone use, one way or another.  There’s the woman trying to call 911 whose boyfriend slaps the phone out of her hand.  There’s the woman who finds naked pictures of some other girl on her boyfriend’s phone (BIG fight).  There’s the woman or man who finds elicit text messages on the  significant other’s cell phone.  And most frequent of all, there’s the argument, followed by one person trying to leave the house, with the other person refusing to let them take their own cell phone with them, which leads to a physical fight (“tussle”) over the phone.  My best estimate is that about eighty percent of our domestic violence cases arise from cell phones, one way or another.

Then there’s the issue of people driving while talking.  I walk and use MARTA a lot now, so I get a good view of passing traffic, and it scares the daylights out of me to see how many people do this, and how little attention they pay to anything other than the phone.  I did it all the time until I got a scooter and had to stop.  Having seen the number of people doing it and the way they drive, I’d bet money that cell phones cause far more accidents than booze.

Lately I’ve seen a rise in the number of cell phone extortion cases, too.  Somebody loses a phone, calls their number, and gets an answer from a borderline homeless guy who found it and arranges for a pickup, in exchange for a reward.  Of course, on my end, I just hear the defendant’s side of things, which is usually, “Hey, I could’ve left the phone sitting there, in which case somebody else could’ve made all kinds of calls on it.  I deserved a reward.”  Given that the requested reward is usually ten dollars, I see their point.  The police NEVER see their point.  Nor do the victims; in fact, the sense of personal affront exhibited by the victims seems disproportionate to me.  I guess the cell phone carries a strong aspect of an extension of self that used to belong only to a journal and address book all rolled into one.  This is how I find my people.  This is how my people find me.  It takes on a sense of importance that has sometimes caused me to lose my sense of perspective (as in driving while dialing).  It has certainly caused me to shut out the world (talking on the phone at an outdoor cafe when I could be people-watching and making small talk, actually interacting with the people around me).  And there have been times when turning it off seems like a much bigger deal than it should be: “but what if someone wants to call me!?  What if I miss something?”  More than once I’ve had to stop myself and think: “What if I’m missing what’s going on right here, right now?”

Which brings me to the worst cell phone offense I’ve seen, which was in court.  One of the solicitors was done with the direct examination of her witness and apparently thought that cross examination wasn’t worth paying attention to: she pulled out her phone and text-messaged her boyfriend until the defense lawyer finished.  Let this be a reminder to all of us to remember to hang up once in a while.