Police Endorse Microscopic Anti-Theft System
The Sierra Madre, CA, police department has endorsed the use of high-tech, nearly invisible tracking dots that can be placed on objects to reveal an ownership code when magnified.
Police Chief Marilyn Diaz says she is promoting of use of adhesive tracking dots at local Neighborhood Watch meetings and local Chambers of Commerce.
The DataDot authentication system offers a worldwide database of dot codes and their rightful owners, and a package of 500 dots costs only $24.95. Though data dots are too small to be noticed, they are clearly visible under blacklight, and could help officers identity stolen property, for instance, during a routine traffic stop.
DataDot Technologies USA development director Scott McKeever says the use of data dots in Australia in BMW and Audi vehicles steered criminals away from these cars to easier targets.
Diaz first read about data dots in a February 2007 issue of Popular Science and has since embraced them.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from the Pasadena Star-News (CA); 03/06/07; Gurton, Mary Frances.