The Greenville Police Department (GPD) has two new partners in its fight against crime. CopDots and Lowe’s Home Improvement have teamed up to bring a first of its kind crime fighting tool to Eastern North Carolina.

Referred to as DNA for your property, CopDots is a microdot technology that enables people to mark their personal assets with a pen-like applicator. Each CopDots applicator dispenses a special adhesive containing thousands of tiny microdots which marks valuables with a traceable personal identification number (PIN). No two pens contain the same PINs, so each pen is unique.

Pen owners can register the pen online. Once the pen is registered in the CopDots database, if CopDots marked property is stolen, law enforcement can access the information, identify the rightful owners, and build a case against the thief.

“CopDots is like DNA for your property,” said Police Chief Hassan Aden. “Back in the 80s and 90s, people were using engravers to carve their social security numbers and other identifiable information on their valuables. That not only marks up your nice things, but it can provide thieves with information they can use to steal your identity along with your valuables. Now, we have a better way to mark your television without destroying how it looks.”

Greenville PD is the first agency in eastern North Carolina to sign on to utilize this crime-fighting technology, and is in good company with a handful of other agencies in the state. CopDots’ goal is to train every law enforcement agency in the nation on the technology and help recover more stolen property.

Training for the GPD will begin right away. CopDots are now available for purchase at the local Lowe’s stores.
For additional information about CopDots, go to www.copdots.com.

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