CSI comes to Chesterfield: Police promote product to help identify, return stolen items

Chesterfield County police are trying to help theft victims get their valuables back.

SmartWater CSI – a Fort Lauderdale, Fla. company – provides a liquid that, when placed on an item, glows when exposed to ultraviolet light.

Chesterfield police chief Jeffrey S. Katz knew of the product because the police department in Boynton Beach, Fla., began using it when he was there. In a quote attributed to Katz on Smartwater CSI’s website, he cited “…a noteworthy 38 [percent]reduction in burglaries,” referring to a one-year study in a specific neighborhood.

Chesterfield police began promoting the product in early September to aid in the identification of stolen property, police officer Tim Lamb said. Chesterfield police distributed free kits to residents of the Bayhill Pointe and Mason Woods neighborhoods.

“Many times we recover property that we can’t track back to the owner because there’s no serial number or identifying marks,” Lamb said. “It helps mark property without being clearly evident (to the thief).”

He recommends putting a “dab” of the liquid near an item’s serial number, if possible. When exposed to an ultraviolet light, the dried liquid will glow with a yellow, green or blue color.

The product can also be used by businesses. According to the company’s website, when sprayed on intruders, the product is the ultimate threat to their getaway. Lamb said that someone robbing a bank can be sprayed with the clear liquid near the exit, for example.

“SmartWater CSI’s forensic technology will enable the police to link them back to their crime for years, and that’s why it’s a major crime deterrent,” the company’s website states. “With millions of formulas available, each solution is unique, either for use in your home or business, with our scientists creating a clear and harmless solution for your exclusive use.”

Chesterfield is the first law enforcement agency in Virginia to promote use of the product, Lamb said.

He notes that recovery of stolen items will become more effective the more that SmartWater CSI is used by law enforcement agencies throughout the state and nation. Still, it will be effective if an item marked with the product is stolen locally and recovered by law enforcement in Chesterfield.

Smartwater CSI is sold for $42.50 a kit and that includes a discount code (RB1615) that is provided exclusively for Chesterfield residents. Lamb doesn’t recommend that residents who live outside of the area purchase the product unless a law enforcement agency in the buyer’s area is promoting the product.

For more information, go online to smartwatercsi.com or call (804) 318-8699.