Invisible IDs For iPods?

NEW YORK Thieves in New York City are surrounded by a tempting array of portable electronic devices, and now police are stepping in with a program to help them track stolen items.

Police are etching ID numbers on portable electronics using invisible ink. If the items are ever stolen and recovered, they'll have a way to return them to their rightful owners.

The program will also help police prove that iPods and other recovered items are stolen.

Police are offering the free service at Transit Bureau offices and at tables throughout the subway system.

The program has yet to reunite a lost device with its owner, police said.

Transit Bureau Offices:

- Columbus Circle station
- Canal St. station (A, C, E lines)
- 145th St. station at St. Nicholas Ave. (A, B, C, D lines)
- Union Square station
- Yankee Stadium station at 161st St. in the Bronx
- East 180th St. station in the Bronx
- Union Turnpike station in Queens
- Far Rockaway station in Queens
- Hoyt-Schermerhorn station in Brooklyn
- Carroll St. station in Brooklyn
- Broadway Junction station in Brooklyn
- Coney Island-Stillwell Ave. station in Brooklyn