Ellisville Police Marking New Year with Invisible Ink

The next step toward securing your personal property just might resemble part of a spy kit, and law enforcement will soon be giving them to the public to help fight crime.

No, they aren't spy glasses or even hidden surveillance cameras, but Ellisville police will soon be offering residents invisible ink kits in the hopes that marked property will help law enforcement track stolen goods to their rightful owners.

The kits, which variations of are offered online, will contain a permanent invisible fluorescent marking pen, a special black light flashlight and an inventory list for marked items. Anyone can then use the pens to mark valued property with their driver's license number, which could then be used by police to trace property to a particular police report.

Police also will issue ID decals that residents are encouraged to place on a door or window.

"By doing so, this will alert thieves that all items of value on premises have been marked for ready identification," Ellisville police said in an email.

Law enforcement say valuable items should be marked in an inconspicuous location, typically on the back or bottom of a device.

St. Louis Police, too, recently began using the pens, as The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported this summer, noting that roughly 43 percent of stolen items are electronics.

A spokesperson for the said the kits will be available starting next month. For more information, contact Sgt. Nancy Walker at nwalker@ellisville.mo.us or by phone at 636-227-7777.