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`Millersville University’s Police Department is offering a new service called Operation ID.
Operation ID is MUPD’s new initiative to help keep valuable possessions safe.
The service is free of charge to students and will be offered twice annually, upon return from summer and winter breaks.
Students interested can pick up an item log at the police station and record descriptions and serial numbers of valuable items. Once lost or stolen and in possession of MUPD, the station can run the serial number in an online database and identify the proper owner.
The station also offers free engraving for objects that lack an identification number.
Officer James Miller talks to freshmen in Harbold Hall about engraving valuables. Photo by Carla Anderson.
Many vulnerable students leave valuables in plain view in cars and dorm rooms and are the victims of theft. Operation ID is a tool to combat thieves.
The program was not prompted by any particular instance of vandalism or theft, although Officer James Miller reported that the police station often gets lost property and struggles to identify the rightful owner.
“It’s proactive education on the safeguard of own property” said Miller, who is one of the 14 police officers at Millersville.
The MUPD can be a very intimidating and daunting force on campus, but Officer Miller stressed that although they may be authoritative, they also offer a myriad of other helpful services. Services include: escort service, free talks for any problem, a self-defense class called Rape Aggression Defense, or R.A.D. and a number of other free services meant to improve life on campus.
Operation ID will make recovery of stolen items more realistic, and greatly improves personal security.