Operation Identification
Operation Identification is a proven program to help you and law enforcement agencies reduce burglaries. It costs nothing to join the program. Here is how it works:
- Sign up for Operation Identification.
- Mark all easily stolen property with your Permanent Identification Number (PIN). The Police Department will assign a PIN to you and keep a record of it in their files. We’ll also provide an engraving tool to mark your property.
- Invisible ink pens are available from several online retailers for those items you would rather not engrave. This pen is only visible under special lighting. Use your preferred search engine to search for “invisible ink pens.”
- Your PIN is a nationally recognized number. All recovered property marked with it will be traced and returned to you, even if recovered in another state.
- Make a record of all marked property and keep it in a safe deposit box or other safe location away from valuables. You'll get a record form with your PIN.
- The form lets you record the PIN as well as descriptions and serial numbers of marked items. This information will help you identify stolen property quickly and make it more recoverable.
- Take photographs or make a videotaped record of household property to aid identification and recovery of lost or stolen property.
- Put Operation Identification stickers on windows near front and back doors of your home. They tell a burglar that property is identified as yours and will be hard to sell to a dealer of stolen goods. We will give you these stickers.
- No dealer wants to be arrested with stolen articles - especially if they are easy to trace and identify.
- The burglar knows that marked stolen property in possession is court evidence of guilt.
Mark these possessions with your PIN:
- TV sets
- Binoculars
- Stereo equipment
- Digital music players (iPods, etc.)
- Guns
- Radios and CD players
- DVD players
- Lawnmowers
- Fishing rods and reels
- Snow blowers
- Vacuum cleaners
- Bicycles
- Kitchen appliances
- Outboard motors
- Golf clubs
- Computers
- Cameras and other photography equipment
- Musical instruments
What makes Operation Identification so effective is that PIN marked property is hard for a burglar to sell. Marked property can also be easily traced and is solid evidence of possession of stolen property. Operation Identification is only successful if you mark your property and display the window stickers.
For further information, contact our Community Policing Coordinator or call 218.299.5143.
This program is for Moorhead residents only. Please check with your local police or sheriff to enroll in Operation Identification.