Security Technology: A High Tech Pen Could Help Police Fight Crime

A new type of security technology called the TRACE Pen makes it easier for police to identify valuables stolen in a robbery.

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) is touting the benefits of this new piece of security technology that makes it easier to identify the owners of stolen items. Individuals can use the pen to mark items with a unique set of numbers that can only be read under black light by a magnifying camera. Once a person uses the pen to mark personal items, he or she can then keep a log of these items and their unique numbers in a database. This database is accessible only by the property owner and the police.

Using this method of number identification, stolen property recovered by police & law enforcement officials can be returned to its rightful owners.

The TRACE Pen security technology works by applying an adhesive to an item when it is used. The adhesive contains phosphorous (which allows it to be visible with a black light) and thousands of microscopic plastic discs that are etched with a unique number. This number is permanently linked to the property owner. The high tech pen is new to the market and it can be used to mark up to 50 items.

Using Security Technology to Prevent Crime

In 2013, there were more than one million incidents of property crime reported to police in Canada and the majority of those incidents were break-and-enters. OACP is hopeful that the pen will be a valuable piece of security technology and that it will reduce the rate of breaking and entering and property theft since marking items will make them less desirable for resale. OACP is encouraging pawn shops to use black lights to detect items marked with the high tech pen and refuse to buy and sell them. The company that makes the TRACE High Tech Pen security technology has already provided black lights to many pawn shops and second-hand stores.

The pen is just one of the ways that you can protect your home and your valuables. Other forms of security technology are also important. A monitored alarm system installed on your property along with video surveillance cameras and other physical security barriers will deter criminals and make it more likely that they will be caught and made to pay for their crimes.

For a detailed analysis of what you can do to protect your home and your valuables and how additional security technology can help you, please contact SafeTech at 416-229-9902 for a Free Risk Assessment. A member of our knowledgeable loss prevention team can work with you to help you secure your home.