SFPD Admits It Took Part in Search for Lost iPhone 5

The story of this missing iPhone prototype keeps getting weirder and weirder. Earlier today, we reported that the San Francisco Police Department claimed that it had no record of any of its police officers being involved in a search for a missing iPhone prototype. And now, it appears, that the SFPD has reneged on its earlier comments and says that yes, plainclothes officers did in fact show up at Sergio Calderón’s home, but they didn’t go inside.

Instead, according to SF Weekly, “three to four” officers merely accompanied two private detectives affiliated with Apple to the home and stood outside while the two Apple employees scoured Calderón’s Bernal Heights home in search of the missing device.

According to Calderón, none of those that showed up at this door admitted to being an employee of Apple and that he was under the impression that the individuals that entered his home were in fact police officers and not Apple employees.

In addition, Calderón claims that he was asked about his immigration status by his visitors and was also offered $300 and the promise that no charges would be pressed against him if he returned the device.

It’s unclear at this point who asked about the immigration status but one of the Apple employees was the one who offered Calderón the money.

It’s also not known why the San Francisco Police Department originally stated that it had no records of an involvement in this search. And, as it turns out, the Department is still not sure who exactly knocked on Calderón’s door.

San Francisco Police Department spokesman Lt. Troy Dangerfield has stated that:

…he was not aware of whether it was a San Francisco police officer or one of the Apple security officers who first knocked on Calderón’s door. “Anyone has a right to keep people from their homes if they don’t want them there, legally,” Dangerfield said.

And in the midst of all of this, it has become apparent that Apple is looking to bolster its product security team to help prevent more iPhone prototypes from being lost at Bay Area bars.