Fort Lauderdale Police say a new high-tech, crime-fighting water will soon be used to help catch criminals. SmartWater CSI is a forensically encoded liquid that can be applied to personal property or even sprayed on intruders to help police identify criminals. Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderly and SmartWater founders Philip Clearly and Logan Pierson discuss.
Fort Lauderdale Police say a new high-tech, crime-fighting water will soon be used to help catch criminals.
SmartWater CSI is a forensically encoded liquid that can be applied to personal property or even sprayed on intruders to help police identify criminals.
It's non-hazardous and nearly impossible to remove, leaving a mark for a minimum of five years that is only visible under ultraviolet black light.
Fort Lauderdale Police and the founders of SmartWater CSI held a demonstration Thursday of how the water works.
"The forensic scientists only need a speck, a speck to put him back in that liquor store, at the time of the robbery," SmartWater founder Philip Cleary said.
Cleary, a former police officer in Britain, came up with the idea out of frustration with seeing the bad guys go free.
"When I was a police officer, and I'm sure it's the same here, I knew who my robbers were, I knew who my burglars were but they were getting away with it because I couldn't get the evidence," Cleary said.
Fort Lauderdale Police think the water will help catch some of their more prolific criminals, and plan to introduce a pilot program in the South Middle River neighborhood.
"We have a long list of people who have been repeat offenders in this area," Police Chief Frank Adderley said.
The SmartWater will be rolled out to the public on Feb. 2 at Church of the Intercession at 501 Northwest 17th Street.
More Local Stories:
