It seems like the stuff of science fiction, but this is law enforcement fact. It is a pen filled with thousands of granules, each smaller than a speck of sand.

“On every single one of those dots, we’ve laser-etched a number,” said Shawn Andreas, president of CopDots. You enter the serial number of your pen into a secure database, then use the pen to invisibly mark your property. If it’s stolen, police can use a special microscopic reader to check for the CopDots, and that unique serial number.

“It just allows the agency to actually find out in real time who the property belongs to,” Andreas explained.

“Trying to match up stolen property with its owner is very tedious,” said Marietta Police Major Mike Hathaway. “People can usually describe their property, but they often don’t write down the serial numbers.”

A lot of times, the recovered property goes unclaimed and is eventually sold at auction. That is why Marietta Police is the first agency in Georgia to adopt CopDots, saying this could solve one of the department’s biggest headaches.

The pens are available for about $30.00 at all Lowe's stores. CopDots is making the reader technology and training available to police departments nationwide at no cost. Andreas said he hopes to have CopDots available in all 50 states by June 2014.