“Operation ID” signs are located across the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses. ANA CAHUICHE/THE RIDER
The UTRGV Police Department now offers free engraving for personal items, such as bicycles and electronics.
Early care and early childhood studies senior Julia Gonzalez said she thinks Operation ID is a great and efficient program for the UTRGV community, especially for students.
“I think [Operation ID] is pretty neat because a lot of the students’ property does get lost, and more than likely because they leave it on the table and probably walk away to get maybe, like, a snack or something, so anything can happen within those few seconds or few minutes,” Gonzalez said. “So, I think it is pretty neat that this project is going on.”
Operation ID is a free program in which the UTRGV Police Department engraves specific identification numbers on the back of an item. This helps police officers recognize and return missing or stolen items to the original owner.
Operation ID is for all of the campus community, not just bicycle riders, said UTRGV Police Chief Raul Munguia. He said items can be engraved with identifying marks or numbers.
He recommends engraving driver’s license numbers on one’s property.
UTRGV Police Officer Michael Garcia engraves a student’s identification information on the back of a cell phone last Wednesday at the UTRGV Police Department in Brownsville. The department is located at 1 W. University Blvd., across from the Casa Bella student housing complex. ANA CAHUICHE/THE RIDER
“So, say we stop somebody and they have a TV in the car. … We can easily run that [number] … and that we can look in our database if it is reported stolen and/or give them a phone call,” Munguia said.
Students, faculty and staff only need to present one official ID to engrave an item.
The process of engraving an item only takes a few minutes, according to Munguia.
Once the police find a lost item, they will report it to the original owner, who can pick it up at the police station, he said.
“If they lose an item, they need to make a report to the police department and if we locate the property, we will call them and tell them that we have it and all you need to do is show an ID during normal working hours between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and they can get their property back,” Munguia said.
Asked if she would engrave any of her personal items now that she knows what Operation ID is about, Gonzalez replied: “I am actually thinking about it. Yes, because I am always on campus and I always carry my electronics with me, like my laptop, my phone and sometimes my tablet. So, I am actually considering it now that I know about it.”
Jennifer McGehee-Valdez, director of public relations for University Marketing and Communications, said Operation ID is a great tool for students, faculty and staff.
“I think it is great. I think, first of all, we have to make sure we keep our eyes on everything at all times … just for safety reasons,” McGehee-Valdez said. “But, just in case you are in a rush and you leave something behind, it is nice to know that [Operation ID] is an option. It is just another way to ensure that if you leave something behind, you can get it back.”
