Sheriff’s Office

VIN-etching is a vehicle theft protection system that marks your car easily, permanently, and safely, as a vehicle not to steal. Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Etching is on the most effective means to deter auto theft that is currently available.  Etching is a fast, safe and simple process of having a vehicle's VIN engraved onto its windows using a chemical solution.  Once the VIN has been etched on all windows, a thief must strip and replace every piece of glass in order to profit off the sale of the stolen vehicle or its parts.  Doing so is a time consuming and expensive feat, which deters many thieves from stealing VIN-etched vehicles in the first place.

 

VIN etching is considered a “passive” security system. (Passive systems don’t require the vehicle operator to turn something on, like arming an alarm system). Passive systems always merit a higher discount rate than active systems, because the owner or operator can’t forget to “turn it on” and there are no parts to break or go bad. Check with your insurance company to see if they offer a security device discount.

The etching process take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to complete.  However, please anticipate a wait time of anywhere from  0 to 60 minutes, as there is typically a line of vehicles waiting to be etched.