Security in Numbers

Americans feeling dehumanized by having their names replaced by numbers can take heart. They too can play the numbers game--and all in the name of law and order. Police in Scarsdale, N.Y., have just instituted an antiburglary campaign called Project Theft Guard in which residents may borrow an electric engraving pen and etch their Social Security numbers on such stealable items as TV sets, record players, typewriters, jewelry and bicycles. The home owners are also given stickers declaring THIS HOUSE HAS JOINED PROJECT THEFT GUARD to paste on their front and back doors. The safety measures, say police, will not only act as a deterrent to burglars but also aid in the identification of stolen goods and make them more difficult to sell. The practice of engraving identification numbers originated in Monterey Park, Calif., and has since been adopted in more than 150 U.S. communities. In Monterey Park, at least, the results have been dramatic: over a given period, 6,000 nonparticipating homes were burglarized a total of 2,000 times while 5,000 participating homes were hit only 20 times.

Meanwhile, back in the city, parents alarmed about the increasing number of muggings of schoolchildren on Manhattan's Upper East Side have formed a vigilante group to patrol the streets. The climate of terror suggests that, taking their lead from their neighbors in Scarsdale, the vigilantes may find that the best way to stamp out mugging is to stamp the muggers, possibly across the forehead, so that victims can tell police: "I was just mugged by 056-28-9964!"

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