Glass Etching Offered to Deter Auto Theft

To help prevent auto theft, an auto glass franchise will offer a vehicle identification number etching service Saturday at Cal State Northridge.

Employees of Safelite Auto Glass in Canoga Park will etch the vehicle identification number into all of a vehicle’s windows for $19.95.

Det. Bill Robertson of the LAPD’s Community Effort to Combat Auto Theft Unit, which is co-sponsoring the event with the CSUN Police Department, said the service costs $100 to $200 at most auto dealerships.

Robertson said etching is an effective way to deter auto theft and an inexpensive alternative to sophisticated alarm systems and tracking equipment.

“The theory behind this is that when the auto thief sees the etching, he would leave that vehicle alone and go to a vehicle that doesn’t have it,” he said. “But if a thief were to steal a vehicle with the identification number etched on all the windows, he would have to replace all of them, and that’s very expensive.”

The etchings are done on the bottom corners of the windows. “If you didn’t know it was there, you wouldn’t notice it,” Robertson said.

The service will be offered to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the northeast corner of Lassen Street and Lindley Avenue.

For more information, contact the campus police at (818) 677-2111 or the LAPD unit at (818) 756-8138.