The biggest use for program, however, according to Siebert, will be for burglary. “We figured out why we’re having a problem with retrieving stolen property,” stated the councilman, who also chairs the Public Safety and Technology Subcommittee. “It’s because (residents) can’t identify their property.”

Homeowners might know they own a Sony television, Siebert said, but that information cannot expedite recovery without additional identification information. With H.I.T.S., homeowners can log into the system the brand name, model number, serial number, approximate date of purchase, purchase price, current value and replacement value of anything from furniture to jewelry, electronics, clothing and kitchenware.

“It’s just a lot of information you don’t realize you need to have,” Siebert said. Residents can even store digital photos of each item. Everything can be stored on a personal computer, copied to a CD or removable hardware, e‑mailed and printed.

Detective Tony Morales with the Phoenix Police Department said without an item’s serial number, it is almost impossible to do a theft recovery. Even though pawn shops by law must regularly submit a list of newly acquired inventory to the police, officers assigned to pawn shop detail won’t know an item is stolen if residents merely report a missing “Sony television” following a burglary. Siebert said his office worked with the police department to design the format so residents who are burglarized can check off missing items and convert it to a usable form for the police report.

The home of Joe Villasenor, Siebert’s chief of staff, was burglarized shortly after the councilman’s office began developing the program nearly one year ago. He was able to identify some missing items because he still had the original boxes, but not everything. Villasenor said being the victim of a burglary can be emotional in the beginning. “As time goes on, you find other things are missing,” he said. Residents can edit the form and resubmit it to the police.

Morales identified residential burglary as a large problem in Phoenix. “If we can get another tool to help combat those problems, that would be excellent,” he said.

H.I.T.S. also has a fire loss module to assist insurance companies who need to determine replacement values. The district presented the idea to several insurance agencies who reportedly endorsed the program because the logged information could help them more accurately determine an assessment value. “There’s no reason for the insurance company to argue with you,” Siebert said.

Additionally, James Frederikson, executive director for the Arizona Insurance Information Association which helps Arizonans understand insurance and related safety issues, said a software program like H.I.T.S. speeds up the claims process. “You will get your money much quicker if you have records up to date,” he said.

A third component to the program, for which the district is still finalizing the design, will allow users to have a personal information management section. “I have a small child and I was thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if you could put your child’s fingerprints in there?’” Siebert questioned.

The module will also support the media storage and text description of physical features such as fingerprints and identifying birthmarks. It can even track medications for someone taking care of elderly parents or the terminally ill.

“It’s just a way for you to keep this information available,” Siebert said. He will present an overview of the program during the citywide Block Watch Summit to be held June 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at North Phoenix Baptist Church, 5757 North Central Ave. To register or for more information, call (602) 534‑2424 ext. 5010 or e‑mail blockwatchsummit @phoenix.gov.

Although the software will have the City of Phoenix logo on it, Siebert said anyone worldwide can have access to it. For more information on H.I.T.S. and to obtain the Web address to download the program, call Councilman Siebert’s office at (602) 262‑7444.

Reach the reporter at ambria@thedesertadvocate.com.