To Catch a Thief, There’s DNA Spray
mrearlygold
Posts: 17,858 ✭✭✭
June 26, 2019
New York—The company behind the fine, harmless mist that’s been deployed to deter and detain thieves in Europe for a decade is making a push into the U.S. market.
SelectaDNA’s Intruder Spray System (ISS) uses forensic markers, or DNA, but not the same kind police use to crack the cold cases featured on “Dateline” or that led to the arrest of the man believed to be the Golden State Killer after three decades.
What’s used in ISS is synthetic DNA that, just like human DNA, can be used to tie suspects to a particular place and time.
Installed at points of entry and exit, the system works by spraying the perpetrator or perpetrators with a fine, non-toxic water-based mist dispensed from a canister that’s about the size of a standard aerosol cleaner or beauty product.
The canisters can be installed anywhere—above doors, by windows, in ceilings, in walls, or in the ground—and the spray is triggered in a number of ways, said Joe Maltese, who is handling sales and marketing for SelectaDNA in the United States.
It can be integrated with a store’s security system or wired to its motion detectors so it hits people who trip the alarm, or activated manually via panic buttons or money clips, meaning jewelers who are in the store during a robbery can press a button to spray the perpetrator on his or her way out.
A high-tech version of the dye packs invented in the ‘60s to foil bank robberies, the spray marks the suspect with an invisible, odorless substance that stays on his or her skin for 4-6 weeks and on clothing for a bit longer, up to three months.
If the suspect is taken into custody during that time, the mist will show up under a special-frequency ultraviolet light. Police can then take a swab and send it to the SelectaDNA lab for analysis.
Maltese explained that the spray in each canister has its own long, unique code that’s used only once, so when the lab receives a swab, it can say with 100 percent accuracy that particular spray came from a specific canister, which was activated at a particular store on a specific day and time.
“It’s impossible that they [the suspects] were not there because that code is never used again,” he said while pointing out that the forensic marker is used in concert with other evidence, such as first-hand accounts and surveillance video, to help prosecute suspects.
The cost varies depending on the size and complexity of the system, but Maltese said plans start around $80 a month. There is also a $240 fee to replace each canister. The canisters must be replaced every time they’re activated, or once a year if they haven’t been used
WATCH: The Intruder Spray System in Action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK6wCqhGw3g
SelectaDNA’s Intruder Spray System, which is distributed through CSI Protect in North America, is used in 46 countries by banks, fast-food chains, convenience stores and jewelry companies including TAG Heuer, Pandora, Chanel, and Watchfinder & Co.
Originally piloted in the U.S. market in 2015, ISS is currently installed in five places here: a rare book store in Florida, two convenience stores, one major national retail chain Maltese said he can’t name because of a non-disclosure agreement, and one watch boutique—the Richard Mille flagship on 57th Street in New York.
The high-end watchmaker is the first retailer in New York state to use it, marking the first adoption of the technology by a watch or jewelry retailer in the U.S., a market that SelectaDNA is looking to break into (no pun intended).
In a statement emailed to National Jeweler, Richard Mille said it learned of the system in Europe and found it to be a “worthwhile addition” to the new flagship location in Manhattan.
https://www.nationaljeweler.com/independents/crime/7844-to-catch-a-thief-there-s-dna-spray
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Comments
Interesting...
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Yes, Interesting
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Sounds like a neat idea!
HAPPY COLLECTING
What could go wrong?🤔
interesting indeed. I hope it takes
Cat "pee" works well, too. It's also cheap and the cats are disposable when empty.
Very cool and interesting . What a great idea to detour freaking lowlife scumbag thieves.
I love it👌🏻
Spray the villain. That ought to deter him.
Correct. And you can tell when they're empty by performing...
... wait for it...
... a cat scan.
Spray your coins...
I have never believed that no two snowflakes are alike.
I have heard about this... read an account in a security publication.... seems to work well. A bit expensive for private homes though....layered security is cheaper and highly effective. Cheers, RickO
The problem with this type of system is:
I'm with @ricko, I'd rather rely on other methods (mostly preventative) to deter something like this from happening. This reminds me of the spray that some schools use on pull fire alarms.
Instead of some gimmick spray, if a theft has somehow been detected, how about just locking down all the exits.
Or spraying the thief with mace or tear gas.
I suppose the reason is that the thief is armed and the employee wants to get some distance from them.
Might be best to have a separate exit or safe room that the employee can use quickly, although plans don't always work.
Still, I like the passive marking system, if you could actually track the thief after they leave the scene.