ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The UCF Police Department will host an event to offer free forensic marking for catalytic converters on vehicles belonging to students at the university, the school announced in a partnership with ProTechDNA and State Farm.
The department announced it will provide high-tech labels that can be placed on the catalytic converters and other items like bicycles, computers, phones and tablets.
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According to a statement released by UCF police, the labels have “microscopic dots embedded into adhesive, and each dot is etched with a PIN number unique to the property owner.”
If the label is removed, the adhesive remains on the item, allowing law enforcement the ability to return the item to its owner if it is recovered after being lost or stolen, the police department said.
UCF police said they have had 16 reported catalytic converters thefts on campus so far in 2022, mirroring a larger trend of catalytic converter thefts around the country.
Detectives arrested two people in connection with the rash of catalytic converter thefts from vehicles parked at the university in March.
The free ProTechDNA package is available for the first 100 UCF students at the event, according to the department’s statement.
The department also said that faculty, staff members and members of the community may attend and purchase a ProTechDNA package for $15 and those attending the event are encouraged to download the ProTechDNA before they arrive.
The event will be at garage A on UCF’s main campus on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
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