The police department in�Portsmouth, NH�is collaborating with�Portsmouth High School to create a database of student iPods (and other MP3 players) in hopes of deterring thieves. The increasingly common occurrence has caused the school's "resource officer" (aka police officer on duty inside the school) to collect information about students' digital audio players, including serial numbers, descriptions, and pictures that are filed away. School officials hope that, with the information readily available, stolen iPods will be easier to recover.

iPod theft was also a huge issue in the last school district I worked with, also in New Hampshire. iPods were often stolen from gym locker rooms during class and then sold in a pawn shop in another town, or to a student at another high school. For whatever reason, it seems as if padlocks are much less common today than they were when I went to high school in the late 90s, making theft much easier. While many high schools are outfitted with closed circuit surveillance systems, the cameras are not allowed inside of locker rooms, preventing administrators from actually catching students in the act. In turn, circumstantial evidence is usually the result—meaning a principal's interrogation skills and a potential search of the alleged thief's belongings are the only hope for recovery.

The program taking place in a high school, where the vast majority of digital audio players are iPods, could actually yield some positive results. Having a serial number makes proof of ownership a no brainer, and thus recovery should be that much easier. This isn't the first system we have seen implemented at a school, but we wouldn't be surprised if it becomes more and more common, eventually spreading to devices like cell phones.