[bobcat]

Anyone heard of these? I was in a local Lowe's and saw them on the rack so thought I'd research the idea. It would all depend on your local PD having the scanner to read the dots.

http://copdots.com/

[RR_Security]

I might have mentioned them awhile back. Those are made by DataDot Technology USA, which makes pther products that can be used on vehicles (including motorcycles), bicycles, heavy equipment, tools, etc. They also do a lot of work with utilities, etc. (copper theft).
I've got a couple of their "home" kits, plus the law enforcement kit so I could demonstrate to local police chiefs and sheriffs how it works.
The last time I checked, none of the Lowe's stores in Maine carried CopDots, but they were being used in FL, GA, NC, SC, Kern County, CA, and Spokane, WA. (The mayor of Orlando urged citizens to use CopDots after his car was broken into in 2013.)

In talking with the CEO of DataDot Technology earlier this year, I found out that the "consumer" or "home" kits use polymer microdots. The dots used for other applications are metal, and the carrier/fixative used to apply them is more durable. If I remember correctly, he said the automotive application would withstand the heat of a catalytic converter. I think once the fixative for the poly DataDots cures, it holds up pretty well, but it's not really for outdoor use. I don't know how weather-resistant the adhesive for CopDots is.

Some officers and deputy sheriffs carry UV flashlights for detecting counterfeit ID and other uses, but they might not know about CopDots. The company's Website says seeing the dots gives officers probable cause, but I'm not so sure about that. Seeing a bunch of little glowing spots on property in a vehicle, and someone in possession of the property not being able to explain those glowing dots might be reasonable suspicion, but I think PC would come only from reading the registration number on the microdots. Without a warrant or some exception to the warrant requirement (consent to search, etc.), that could be a challenge. I could be mistaken about that; I'm not a lawyer.

So maybe the idea isn't perfect, but I think it could still help recover a stolen camera. I'd promote the use of microdot marking, catalytic converter etching, and other theft deterrent/recovery methods in my area, but I've been busy with too much other stuff lately.