Calaveras Sheriff’s Office To Unveil New Investigative Tool

San Andreas, CA — In January, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office is planning to debut a new program designed to catch local burglars.

It’s called SmartWater. The Sheriff’s Office will make traceable liquids available which can only be seen with a special light. Sheriff Rick DiBasilio spoke about it on Mother Lode Views over the weekend, noting, “Let’s say you have a toolbox out in your shop. You could spray the SmartWater on there and it will have green speckles on it that cannot be seen with the naked eye. But when you shine this special light on it, you can see it.”

He adds, “We can actually take part of that green speckle off, send it to a lab, and that particular item will be linked to a certain person. It is like DNA. Everybody who gets into this SmartWater program will get some product that is registered specifically to them with a certain DNA number. It is going to change the world in how we do investigations.”

Once sprayed on an item, it will remain effective for about five years.

The program is expected to be debuted next month, and residents will be able to purchase a vile of the SmartWater that will be registered to them with the county. It is expected to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $30-$40 per vile. DiBasilio estimates that around 17 counties, statewide, have similar programs. On Mother Lode Views the sheriff also talked about recent crime trends, adding a new BearCat, the impact of volunteers, recruiting new deputies, the upcoming budget, and preparing for local natural disasters.

Click here to find the entire 30-minute show.