A property identification kit being offered in Deptford Township is a big biotechnological leap over engraving programs.
Now there's a use for DNA evidence in crime-solving that won't get anyone sent to the slammer for a violent crime or sprung from prison if it turns out that they're innocent.
You see, it's not just suspects who have DNA. Plants do, too. Police departments in Deptford Township and many Camden County towns are offering kits to mark commonly stolen household items with plant DNA as a means of tracking down their rightful owners if the loot is recovered. A DNA scanning test can match the items to serial numbers provided by the victims.
The DNA imprint is a kind of invisible ink that's more stable than lemon juice on paper or, more to the point, less susceptible to tampering than the etching that some police departments have employed for years to identify stolen property. Obviously, a burglar can see the engraved numbers, and can scrape them of off a piece of jewelry or a laptop computer that he wants to fence.
And, Deptford police say, few people took advantage of its voluntary engraving program, perhaps because it can alter the appearance of an object such as a diamond ring.
The Deptford program will provide the DNA kits free for up to 500 senior citizens, whom Sgt. John Leone of the Community Policing Unit says are most at risk for property crimes. Police would like every township household to get one of the kits, but the $70 cost puts them out of reach as a taxpayer-funded item.
Still, there's tremendous value in this program. Not everyone has bling, tchotchkes or tech gear that's worth stealing. But $70 might be a good investment for those worried about theft of valuable art or fresh-out-of-the-box electronics.
Right now, the DNA stamping is a just-patented technology of a company called Applied DNA Sciences Inc. in Stony Brook, N.Y. It can raise red flags when public entities like police departments sign up with single-source vendors -- note the recent debacle with red-light camera systems in New Jersey -- because the vendor can control pricing and limit officials' oversight. In this case, the outlay is small, and taxpayers aren't being asked to supply the whole township with the kits.
It's also a plus that Camden County towns that border Deptford, notably Gloucester Township, are using the same identification system. Stolen loot tends to cross borders easily, and no one has suggested building a wall that Donald Trump will get burglars to pay for.
Give Deptford its kudos for being the first Gloucester County town to supply the technology, but it would be better to have this as a countywide initiative. That's what Camden County did when it announced its participation in the DNA deterrent plan last June. Who knows? As a regional program with a number of South Jersey counties, perhaps a discount on the price of the kits can be negotiated.