Long Island Town Giving Residents DNA Tool To Fight Crime

HUNTINGTON STATION, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) The Town of Huntington on Long Island is using science to fight crime.

As CBS2s Tracee Carrasco reported, a company will use DNA from plants to track down jewelry and other valuables stolen in home burglaries.

Im excited that Huntington will be one of the first in the nation to trial this technology, said Suffolk County Legislator Dr. William Spencer (D-Huntington).

The Town of Huntington is providing 500 residents with a vial containing a plant-based product that can be used to leave an invisible print on valuables. The product includes DNA extracted from an assortment of common plants in homes and yards.

If those items are stolen and recovered or pawned, an ultraviolet light can be used to reveal the mark which would then be traced to the owners so the items can be returned, WCBS 880s Sophia Hall reports.

The program that makes it all possible is called DNANET. In Huntington Station on Friday, state lawmakers and police joined the head of the local startup tech company that created the DNA Net kit.

Application is easy, said Jim Hayward of Applied DNA Sciences. Just swab the DNA onto an item, creating a marking just smaller than a dime.

Hayward demonstrated how easy it is for police officers to shine the UV light onto valuables afterward. The plant DNA shines brightly, and can even be sent by a computer to a lab to match it to stolen items listed on the companys database.

An infinitesimal amount of each unique mark can identify an item belonging to your or to your family, Hayward said.

The plant-based substance can be used on anything valuable.

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Long Island Town Giving Residents DNA Tool To Fight Crime