DataDots, a new technological identification device for the recovery of stolen personal belongings, may be coming to Sacramento State.

DataDots ?” which are measured one millimeter each with a serial number etched onto each dot ?” are used to correctly identify and locate the owner of lost or stolen property through the DataDots’ national database.

Police use black lights to check for DataDots, and the dots act as a deterrent for thieves to steal, said Scott McKeever, program development director for DataDot Tech USA.

“A thief would have to remove all the dots from a device, while a police officer would have to find just one to find out who it belongs to,” McKeever said.

President of MicroID Technologies Steven Campbell Sr. said the problem with basic serial numbers is that when police confiscate stolen property, officers can’t identify the original owner if the serial number is removed.

DataDots has only recently become available to the public, and as part of the company’s university launch, DataDots was presented to college campus bookstores and local police officials.

MicroID has already met with the Hornet Bookstore and the Sac State University Police Department, and the use of DataDots as a crime prevention tool was discussed, Campbell said. Campus police plan to have another meeting regarding the device, he said.

Individual kits containing 500 dots are now being sold at college campus bookstores around California, including San Jose State University; San Diego State University; California State University, Fullerton; California State University, East Bay; and University of California, Irvine.

Kits cost $19.95 and contain instructions on how to stick the dots on electronic devices and personal objects. It is recommended to apply a number of DataDots on personal items ?” Campbell said he applied around 60 dots to his personal laptop.

Sales of DataDots have varied from campus to campus.

Kim McKee, the computer department manager for the San Jose State bookstore, said DataDots have not been that popular and that not many students are aware of them.

But Jeff Kelly, the computer store buyer manager for the San Diego State bookstore, said the bookstore has sold more kits than expected.

“Students like it because it’s another way to track lost items,” Kelly said.

At this time DataDots are not available for purchase at the Hornet Bookstore, but Julia Milardovich, director of the Hornet Bookstore, said the product looks like it might be useful to students.

“I think some students would like DataDots,” Milardovich said. “Especially for computers and electronic equipment.”

Campbell said the concept for DataDots goes back to World War II, when encryption codes were etched onto the periods of sentences.

The early use of DataDots was for car dealerships, when thousands of dots would be placed inside of a car. This process came to the United States in 2003.

In the fall of 2005, MicroID began presenting their personal DataDot kits to college campuses to capitalize on the widespread use of personal electronic devices by students, such as iPods and cell phones.

The kits can be purchased from the Web at sites such as www.microidtech.com and www.datadotsusa.com.

Matthew Beltran can be reached at [email protected]