Protect Your Valuables
Operation Identification is a nationally recognized property identification program
that was established to help recover stolen valuables and property. The University
Police Department offers this service to students and employees free of charge to
help discourage theft.
Operation Identification can be used to protect bicycles, cameras, laptops, cell phones,
lab equipment, and any other items with a hard surface. Engraved items can include: desk and laptop computers, cell phones, radios, TVs, stereos,
golf clubs, bicycles, appliances, tools, and any portable items that might be stolen
that have a hard surface that can be engraved.
Stolen goods are more difficult to sell when they have been marked and can be identified. Operation
Identification also assists the police in identifying stolen property. Stolen items
of value are entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), making information
available to other police agencies. Help protect your personal property by joining
Operation Identification and “PIN your property”.
What is a PIN?
- PIN is a personalized identification number that is used to distinguish your valuables
for identification purposes. Your PIN is your driver’s license number and two-state
abbreviation.
- Do not mark valuables with your social security number. Federal regulations governing the identity of social security registrants make the
numbers next to impossible to trace. Also, displaying your social security number
can put you at risk for identity theft.
How it works:
- Engrave your PIN on all your valuables. Take your valuables to the Police Department to
engrave or make arrangements to borrow an engraver from the department.
- Engrave your PIN in an obvious place so the number can be seen at a quick glance.
For further protection, engrave a second hidden PIN.
- Keep an inventory record of all your valuables; including make, model, serial numbers,
PIN, and description, as well as location(s) engraved. Put this list in a safe place.
If you are burglarized, the list can help you when you report the crime to the University
Police Department and your insurance company.
- If you feel the value of your property would be severely reduced if it were engraved,
take photographs instead and file these photographs along with a description of the
item(s), noting all unique characteristic, such as serial numbers, model, make, etc.
Reasons for engraving your property with a PIN:
- When you engrave your property you are increasing your chances of having the property
recovered if it is stolen. When a police department cannot prove ownership of recovered
property the property is held for a period of time and then disposed of in accordance
with the law.
- Engraved property can reduce the “attractiveness” for would-be thieves to steal and
sell.
- Marking items with your PIN assists the owner in retrieving loaned, borrowed or misplaced
items if ownership questions arise.
After locating the serial number, fill out the form below to officially register your
items with the University Police Department.
