A thief can remove a property identification tag, but removing the tag does not necessarily eliminate the object’s identity or its connection to ownership records. The distinction is important because property identification relies on more than a physical label.
A License Plate Can Be Removed With a Screwdriver
Consider the license plate on a motor vehicle.
A license plate can ordinarily be removed in minutes with a screwdriver. Yet that vulnerability has not made license plates obsolete.
Why?
Because the plate is only one component of a larger identification system. The vehicle also has a manufacturer-assigned Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and government registration records associate identifying information with its registered owner.
Removing the license plate does not erase the VIN or the registration history.
Property identification systems operate on a similar principle.
What Happens When an Asset Tag Is Removed?
An asset tag provides a visible identifier that can help connect an object to an ownership or registration record.
Some tags are designed to resist removal or reveal evidence of tampering. Nevertheless, no adhesive identification tag should be considered impossible to remove.
A thief who removes a tag may eliminate one convenient means of identifying the object, but other identifiers may remain.
These include:
- Manufacturer serial numbers
- Model numbers and distinguishing characteristics
- Photographs and purchase records
- Previously documented asset identification numbers
The important distinction is between removing a physical marking and eliminating the records associated with the property.
Why Pre-Loss Registration Matters
Consider a stolen power tool whose identification tag has been removed.
If the owner previously recorded its manufacturer, model, serial number, and Owner Applied Number (OAN), that information remains available even after the tag disappears.
When filing a police report, those records can provide investigators with identifying details to compare against recovered property.
If the manufacturer’s serial number remains intact, it may still be possible to establish a connection to the reported theft.
However, an ownership record alone cannot conclusively identify a recovered object without sufficient matching evidence.
How My Property ID Registry Helps
My Property ID Registry (MPIDR) combines numbered asset tags with a privacy-protected online registry.
The tags provide visible identification and a means of notifying registered owners when tagged property is found.
The registry preserves identifying information that can support police reporting and ownership tracing independently of the tag’s continued presence.
MPIDR also incorporates warning signs intended to discourage theft before it occurs.
Conclusion
A removable license plate does not invalidate vehicle identification. Likewise, a removable asset tag does not invalidate property identification.
The value of an identification system lies not merely in the durability of its markings, but in the records and evidentiary connections behind them.
