High-Tech Anti-Theft Tool To Link Personal Property In Hemet With Global Database
HEMET (CBSLA.com) — Police in Riverside County are set to debut a new high-tech theft prevention tool that applies microscopic identifying markers to personal property.
The Hemet Police Department Thursday announced the launch of Cop Dots, which uses an adhesive that contains thousands of tiny discs - or "dots" - about the size of a grain of sand.
Each tiny disc holds a unique PIN (personal identification number) that links property to its owner using a global database accessible by law enforcement when they suspect goods to be stolen.
The technology is applied using pens filled with a special fluorescing adhesive and thousands of the tiny discs essentially become "DNA for your property," according to Shawn Andreas, president of Cop Dots.
Hemet police officers will be the first in California to be equipped and trained to detect the technology on suspected stolen property, according to police.
While the technology has been used all over the world, Andreas said Hemet was selected as the California "roll-out" for Cop Dots primarily because Hemet Police Chief Dave Brown has made it a top priority to "leverage available technology to enhance public safety and crime prevention."
"Our limited resources have required a fresh look at policing, and this technology caught my attention early," Brown said in a statement. "Our colleagues in Florida have reported great success in preventing and solving property crime."
According to the most recent data, Hemet has a crime rate higher than 94 percent of the rest of California, with the chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime estimated at 1 in 21.
