Operation Identification
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Operation Identification (or Operation ID) is a national community policing initiative in the United States that aims to deter property theft and facilitate the recovery of stolen property by encouraging citizens to mark valuable property, register the property in a law enforcement database, and post notices so that would-be thieves know the owner participates in an Operation ID program.
History
[edit]The first documented Operation ID program began in 1963 in Monterey Park, California. The Chief of Police loaned citizens electronic etching equipment to mark their drivers’ license numbers onto property and register the property in a police database. Citizens then posted stickers around their house broadcasting their participation in Operation ID. By 1972 the city reported that more than half of its approximately 11,000 homeowners were participating in the program and that the vast majority of burglaries were occurring in homes not participating in the program.[1]
The success of the Monterey Park program led to hundreds of other American and international law enforcement agencies adopting similar programs over the next decade.[1] In 1972, New York City, then the largest city in the United States, adopted an Operation ID program, encouraging residents to borrow city-issued tools to etch their Social Security numbers into their valuable property.[1]
In the 1970s the United States federal government began a nationwide effort to encourage and support Operation ID programs. The FBI allowed local law enforcement agencies to enter Operation ID owner-applied numbers in the FBI's National Crime Information Center database.[2] A Department of Justice agency, the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, spent millions of dollars supporting local Operation ID programs.[3] In 1977, FBI Director Clarence M. Kelley threw his agency's support behind a National Committee on Operation Identification (NCIC)---composed of representatives from the National Sheriffs' Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Department of Justice---to promote Operation ID programs and recommend national standards.[2][4]
Modernly, Operation ID has not resulted in widespread public awareness or adoption,[5] but many law enforcement agencies and universities still operate Operation ID programs.
Community policing
[edit]
Beyond reducing property crime, one of the explicit goals of most Operation ID programs is to promote community relations with law enforcement.[6][2][7][8] One of the early adopter police chiefs explained:[6]
Throughout this entire program, we have involved as many members of the community as possible in the participation of local law enforcement. ... Should this program fail, we will have at least exposed a large group of citizens in this city to its police service and to the many problems of law enforcement.
The National Neighborhood Watch Program began in 1972, shortly after Operation ID.[9] Operation ID has become a standard component of Neighborhood Watch programs.[10][11]
Asset management
[edit]Operation ID programs rely on the asset management strategies of tracking property and tracing ownership.[4]
Modernly, most Operation ID programs involve tracking property based on product serial numbers or unique owner-assigned numbers affixed or etched into property, with ownership information recorded in an online database that may or may not be registered with law enforcement.[12][13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Ferretti, Fred (21 July 1972). "City Starts Burglary‐Prevention Program". New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Kelley, Clarence (November 1977). "From the Director". FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. 46 (11). Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ Voss, Allend. "Letter to Attorney General (Apr. 1979)" (PDF). General Accounting Office. GAO. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ a b National Committee on Operation Identification (November 1978). "National Committee on Operation Identification Prescribes Basic Standards". FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. 47 (11): 23–25. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ Separovic, Craig; Brooks, David (2014). "Efficacy of property marking: Police identification of stolen property". Australian Security and Intelligence Conference Conferences. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ a b Davis, Orval (April 1969). "A Look at Technical Research and Development for Police Departments". FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. 38 (4): 15–19. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ "New York Operation Identification Program Guide". National Institute of Justice. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
Operation I.D. is not only a property marking program; it puts the public in contact with police in a positive atmosphere, it is a physical program where citizens can actually do something, it raises consciousness about other crime prevention measures, it can lead to increased reporting to police by citizens.
- ^ "Virginia Operation Identification Program Guide". National Institute of Justice. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Welcome to the National Neighborhood Watch". National Neighborhood Watch. National Sheriffs' Association. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ National Neighborhood Watch Program (2005). Neighborhood Watch Manual (PDF). National Sheriffs’ Association. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Operation Identification". National Neighborhood Watch Institute. National Sheriffs' Association. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Operation Identification (2024)". Florida Polytechnic University. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "What is Police Operation ID?". MyPropertyId Registry. Retrieved 1 October 2024.