The New York Daily News and Gothamist are reporting that the New York Police Department are offering to etch an ID on your iPod, PSP, Treo smart phone or other handheld device.

The New York Police Department has registered 2100 units so far. According to the Transit Bureau crime prevention commanding officer Sergeant William Buckley:

“Overall crime is down in the subways, but for iPods and cell phones, unfortunately it’s up.

These are simple crimes of opportunity. You might be sitting by a door listening to your iPod, not looking around you, and a thief waits for the three seconds before the subway doors close to grab it.”

The hope is that, in addition to returning a greater number of devices to citizens, the program will also serve as a deterrent to thieves.

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Read the article on the New York Daily News site.

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Filed under: Treo and Palm news