Chandler police introduce ‘traceable liquid’ tech to prevent property crimes

PHOENIX — A Phoenix-area police department has begun using a new type of technology that helps prevent property crimes.

The Chandler Police Department has partnered with SmartWater CSI, an anti-theft company that uses a traceable liquid to identify stolen property.

The department is the first in the Southwest to use the technology.

A federal grant will allow officers to award 300 SmartWater kits to certain neighborhoods that have been through predictive analysis and intelligence-based policing, according to a press release.

The department will also offer a special code on Sunday to Chandler residents who are interested in buying a kit of their own. The code will be available on the department’s website and social media sites.

Each vial of SmartWater is a chemically-coded solution with its own unique forensic code — similar to DNA — that can only be spotted under a special light source.

The solution can be registered by each home or business owner and is applied by dabbing a portion on items using a special applicator.

The forensic code within the solution allows officers to link stolen property to the crime and return the item to its owner, according to a press release.

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