Chief to Announce Use of State-of-the-Art Crime Fighting Tool

On Wednesday, Chief Hank Stawinski announced details of a new state-of-the-art crime fighting tool intended to cut down on property crimes countywide. The technology, created by SmartWater out of the United Kingdom, allows residents to mark their personal belongings with a liquid containing a unique forensic code. Once applied, that liquid can only be seen under UV light. This marking will allow stolen items to be identified more easily and help detectives investigate these crimes.  

The Prince George’s County Police Department will be the largest department in the nation to use this technology and the first in our region. At the news conference on Wednesday, SmartWater’s Chief Executive Officer, gave a demonstration on how the technology works. The Prince George's County Police Foundation and Prince George's County Crime Solvers have provided funding for this initiative. 

To help spread the message about this new partnership and tool, our Community Oriented Police Officers, will use the Nextdoor platform to provide information to residents. The PGPD began partnering with Nextdoor in 2015. It’s a private social network that allows only verified neighbors to participate. Thousands of county residents are already using Nextdoor. Residents can also contact their district station for information.