The Skinker-De Baliviere Community Council in cooperation with neighborhood groups is initiating a burglary prevention program.
Under this plan which has been initiated successfully in communities throughout the nation, etching tools will be available for neighborhood residents to etch a permanent marking on valuables. The residents would etch their social security number or drivers license number on an irremovable part of their valuables. Then they would put a sticker in a prominent place. All pawnbrokers would be notified of the program. The purpose of the etching is to make the goods hard to fence and therefore unprofitable for burglars to steal.
The Council is currently contacting neighborhood associations and asking them to provide the necessary $15 per tool to begin the program. The tools would be available for rental (possibly at a $1.00 per tool) at the Council office. Profits would be used to buy more tools. The date the tools will be available will be announced in the next issue of THE PAPER.
In a community of 50,000 in California 4,000 participated in the program and another test group of 4,000 did not. In the first group which used the etching tools there were only three burglaries. In the same period of time there were 180 burglaries in the group which did not participate.
In other action, the Council is discussing the possibility of citizen crime patrols.
Originally published in The Paper, November 1971.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1971_11.pdf, printed page 5.
