DataDot

Making it in Montana : Tiny DataDots help protect valuables against theft.

The latest crime-fighting tool is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

Jeff Rohrer affixes laser-etched microdots to cameras, binoculars, computers, power tools and other valuable objects as part of his inventory documenting service. The dots provide an inconspicuous method for authorities to identify items that have been lost or stolen.

Sold under the trade name DataDots, the information-carrying specks are barely visible with the naked eye. But they glow when they're exposed to ultraviolet light. Each dot contains a laser-etched number that's visible under a 30-power magnifier. The owner is found by cross checking the number with a computer database.

Rohrer has operated Associates Inventory Services, an inventory tracking business, since 1992. You may have seen his inventory specialists working in local grocery stores, wielding hand-held devices that keep track of thousands of products in the store's inventory.

He decided to branch out into a home inventory business earlier this year after some of his customers expressed an interest in the service.

"I had some people who said they were looking for some way to document the property in their homes," Rohrer said.

The dots are manufactured by DataDot Technology USA of Spokane, Wash. A microdot is a polyester disk about 1 millimeter in diameter and one-tenth of a millimeter thick.

Each dot is etched with up to 50 lines of alphanumeric characters. The tagged object's ownership is confirmed when the number is matched to a database that's maintained by DataDot Technology.

The dots are affixed to an object using a special glue that glows when exposed to ultraviolet light. Rohrer often puts several dots on an object in case one dot is accidentally destroyed or if thieves have scraped it off.

Microdot technology was originally developed for use in military applications and espionage during the 1940s. The technology became commercially feasible in the 1990s with the development of laser technology that allowed information to be etched on small objects. Increasingly, microdot technology is being used in many industrial and commercial settings. Casinos even use microdots on casino chips to prevent attempts to cash in fake chips.

Microdots are also used extensively on luxury cars as a theft deterrent, Rohrer said.

"It's the latest evolution," Rohrer said. "We just brought them on as a complement to the home inventory side of our business."

The technology is new to Billings. Rohrer received a lot of interest in the product at the recent Home Improvement Show. He has been introducing it to insurance agents and local law enforcement agencies.

Sgt. Kevin Iffland of the Billings Police Department said he welcomes any new technology that can help law enforcement agencies track down the owners of lost or stolen property.

"It seems like decent technology, and it's another option that our people can use," Iffland said. One of the main issues with introducing new identification technology is training law enforcement officers on how it's used and what to look for, he said.

Rohrer said DataDot Technology also provides equipment to familiarize law enforcement agencies with the technology.

Rohrer can install the dots while conducting a home inventory. He also sells kits that allow homeowners to apply the dots by themselves.

"It's really pretty simple," he said.

A 500-dot kit costs $49.95, and a 1,000-dot kit for around $100 includes computer software that allows the customer to put together his own home inventory.

For more information go to www.associatesinventory.com, or call Rohr at 245-3676.