Keep an Eye on That iPod, Metro Says

METRO POLICE are warning customers about a crime trend that hits victims in both their pocketbooks and earbuds: iPod theft.

According to the transit agency, 30 iPods were snatched on Metro between January and April of this year — almost matching the 34 stolen during all of 2006. (There were just two iPods swiped in 2005.)

How can you keep your 'pods secure? Metro offers a few suggestions: "Safe behavior includes listening to music at a low to moderate decibel level; using black headphones instead of white headphones to make them less noticeable; and holding items inside backpacks, purses or jackets instead of in hands or on laps."

Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato told WTOP that the transit agency can't pinpoint particular stations at which thefts are more likely to occur, so it's probably best for all Metro travelers with any kind of portable electronic device — that means you, CrackBerry addicts — to keep it nestled close.

» "Unwanted Metro Trend: iPod Thefts" [WTOP]
» "Metro Transit Police Fight iPod Theft" [WMATA]

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images