Published: November 08, 2009 12:19 am      

Deterring car thieves

GREENVILLE — A free VIN etching program is set for Tuesday, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Greenville Police and Courts Building at 3000 Lee Street.

In an effort to make it easier for law enforcement to recover your vehicle if stolen, the Texas Automobile Theft Prevention Authority and the Greenville Police Department are sponsoring this event.

The process of VIN etching involved acid being used to stencil your vehicle’s 17-digit identification number onto the window glass of the vehicle.

This helps to make recovery of you vehicle easier as many thieves will steal a vehicle and change its identity by removing the VIN plate on the

dashboard and replacing it with a different one before selling it to an unsuspecting buyer.

By having the identification number placed on additional parts of your vehicle, thieves who might want to change the identity will be deterred as they will have to replace all the window glass in addition to the dashboard VIN plate. This is an investment most thieves will not make.

A sample will be available for those who wish to see what VIN etching looks like prior to having it done.

To register your vehicle for VIN etching call 1-800-227-9282 before Tuesday so that a stencil can be produced for your vehicle.



For more information contact the Greenville Police Department at 903-457-2998.