Thieves might think twice before taking things that don’t belong to them thanks to the good folks at the Live Oak Police Department.

Beginning Saturday, Feb. 7, area residents will have the opportunity to register personal property with the police department and have it marked with a hard-to-remove label.

“We believe that if a thief breaks into someone’s car or home, he will be less likely to steal registered items, as they will be much more difficult to sell or pawn,” said LOPD Chief Buddy Williams. “And if someone is foolish enough to go ahead and take the item, it will make it easier for us to trace it back to the thief, when we recover it.”

This free service is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the police department on White Avenue, next to City Hall. Future registrations will be announced at a later date.

“There is no perfect solution to stopping a determined burglar,” said Williams. “But we believe this campaign, which we call ‘Safeguard Your Stuff,’ will help.”

Although small items can be brought to the registration sites, residents are urged to contact the police department before Feb. 7 for the form needed to register large items, such as televisions. The form can also be downloaded from the police department’s page of the city of Live Oak’s Web site at cityofliveoak.org.

“The physical registration of personal items will be handled by a cadre of volunteers under the supervision of LOPD Officer David Shapiro,” said Williams. “Our officers are busy enforcing laws and investigating cases and don’t have the time to handle these registrations.”

Williams said recent graduates of the citizen’s police academy would handle the task.

For more information on how to “Safeguard Your Stuff” contact Shapiro at 386-362-7463.