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12 Law Enforcement Technology March 2014 www.officer.com TECH ON PATROL Testing the waters Another new weapon in American LEOs' crime-fighting arsenal is SmartWater CSI. However, you will not find Jennifer Aniston drinking it. Just over a year old, this US-based company with roots in the UK uses technology developed over a period of three years by retired British police offi- cer Phil Cleary and his brother, Mike Cleary, a member of the British Royal Society of Chemists. The brothers developed the product specifically to deter crime, with significant results in the company's 17 years. SmartWater is a forensic mark- ing solution, which utilizes unique combinations of rare earth materials suspended in a water-based solution. The solution can be used for marking property and assets, its unique forensic code remaining robust—even outside in hot sun or inclement weather—for more than five years. It, too, can be installed at points of entry in buildings and vehicles, and release a fine mist onto suspects when triggered by a motion sensor or a panic button. According to Logan Pierson, the company's president, the use of SmartWater has led to 1,200 convic- tions in the UK, and 95 percent of police stations there now scan suspects for SmartWater as part of the book- ing process. The solution can remain on clothing for years. In fact, Pierson says, there's been an instance in which a criminal was linked to a crime after six years, because of the SmartWater still on his shoes. Pierson emphasizes the fact that SmartWater CSI is more than just the physical product. "It's a heavy-duty vehicle for crime deterrence; a systemic strategy." The first US police agency to adopt SmartWater CSI was the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. According to Pierson, FLPD targeted the South Middle River neighborhood and began distributing residential property marking kits, with signage Circle 52 on Reader Service Card SmartWater…utilizes unique combinations of rare earth materials suspended in a water- based solution…that can be used for marking property and assets. LET_08-14_CopDots0314.indd 12 2/24/14 10:40 AM