OPERATION I.D.

WHAT IS OPERATION IDENTIFICATION?
Operation identification is a citizen's burglary prevention program for use in homes and businesses. The Operation ID program involves the marking of property with an identifying number as a means of discouraging burglary and theft. In communities where it has been properly implemented, Operation Identification has shown dramatic results in its ability to reduce burglaries.

The Operation ID program has two parts. FIRST, mark your valuables with your Driver's License Number so that your property can be easily traced and identified as yours. SECOND, display a sticker which tells would-be burglars that your property has been marked.

WHAT MAKES OPERATION ID SO EFFECTIVE?
Marked property is difficult for a burglar to dispose of or re-sell. It can be traced to the rightful owner with relative ease. And, if the burglar is caught with marked property, it is solid evidence of possession of stolen goods.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
To participate in Operation Identification call your local police or sheriff's office to borrow an electric engraving tool. Law enforcement agencies with Crime Prevention Programs have these engraving tools and will lend them to citizens free of charge. Other agencies will direct you to one of the community-minded organizations in your area which are providing engravers for the program. Your Driver's License Number should be used as your identifying mark on the valuables which you engrave. A typical marking should look like this: TX45996741
The Driver's License Number should be engraved on an area that cannot be easily dismantled, and which is not easily seen.
After marking your property, make a list of your valuables and keep a copy of the list in a safe place. If you should subsequently become a burglary victim, you will be able to quickly describe the stolen property from the list. This will be of great help to the police in their attempts to recover the stolen possessions.
Once property has been marked and a list made, display an Operation Identification sticker at doors and windows which might be used for entry. By advertising your participation in Operation ID in this way, you are announcing that your valuable property has been marked and will be difficult for a burglar to re-sell. Often the presence of the sticker alone is enough to deter a burglar.
DO NOT HOWEVER DISPLAY AN OPERATION ID STICKER WITHOUT FIRST ENGRAVING YOUR PROPERTY
Burglary is the most frequently committed crime in the United States. By participating in Operation ID you are taking one important step to protect your possessions from burglary and theft. There are many other crime prevention anti-burglary precautions which you can take to protect your home, property, business, and family. Fur further information, contact your local law enforcement agency.

MARK THESE POSSESSIONS
The items listed below are those most commonly stolen from homes and businesses:
TV sets
Stereo equipment
Guns
Radios
Car tape decks
Tape recorders
Fishing rods, reels
Vacuum cleaners
Kitchen appliances (mixers, toasters,etc.)
Typewriters
Adding machines
Dictating machines
Cameras
Binoculars
Hub caps
Mag wheels
Lawn mowers
CB radios
Bicycles
Outboard motors
Golf clubs
Electric shavers
Tools (hand and power)
Watches
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Operation I.D. allows you to permanently mark your property with your personal identification number. This may help you recover your property more quickly if that property is ever lost or stolen. An electric marking pen is available to be checked out from the Community Services Section so you may inscribe your Texas driver's license number on the recommended items. In the event these items are stolen, a computerized check of the items (from your I.D. number) may greatly enhance the ability of the Police Department to recover your property.