D.C. police combat evolving black market for stolen cellphones

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, who shamed the telecommunications industry into helping stop a spike in violent cellphone robberies last year, has turned her attention to the sudden arrival of automated vending machines that offer cash for used phones.

The new machines — which look and work like ATMs — encourage the theft of cellphones, Lanier told D.C. Council members during an oversight hearing Tuesday.