NYPD to Dispose of 36,000 Cell Phones

The New York Police Department is replacing 36,000 Nokia Microsoft-based cell phones with brand new iPhones by the end of this year because Microsoft has announced that it will stop operational system support on phones and software after July 11. The cell phones are less than two years old and were purchased as part of a $160 million NYPD Mobility Initiative.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Information Technology Jessica Tisch is being blamed for the need to buy new phones prematurely because she oversaw the NYPD Mobility Initiative that opted for the Nokia Microsoft-based phones.

There is no information on if the phones will be recycled, but the large amount of cell phones being disposed of poses an e-waste challenge.

The Washington Free Beacon has more information:

The New York Police Department will replace 36,000 cell phones with brand new iPhones by the end of the year despite the fact that a number of the phones are less than two years old.

The NYPD's Deputy Commissioner for Information Technology Jessica Tisch is being blamed for the need to buy new phones prematurely, the New York Post reported Monday. Tisch oversaw the purchase of the old Nokia Microsoft-based cell phones as a part of a $160 million "NYPD Mobility Initiative." The initiate was touted by Mayor Bill de Blasio as "a huge step into the 21st century."

The technology purchased, however, is already irrelevant. Microsoft has announced it will stop operational system support on the phones and software after July 11. Forbes responded to the announcement with the declaration, "Windows Phone is dead."

Read the full story here.