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The Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union has donated card readers to the Los Angeles Police Department to assist in fighting card-related crime. The credit union donated 25 Magtek Inc. Mini Swipe readers to the department for use in each of its stations, Manny Padilla Jr., the credit union's vice president of marketing, tells ATM&Debit News, a CardLine sister publication. The department, which operates 23 stations, will deploy the two other readers at stations scheduled to open in the future, Padilla says. Lt. Loren Farrell of the department's Commercial Crimes Division, Valley Forgery Section, says his division receives 600 to 700 card-related identity theft complaints each month. Farrell's division covers the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles. The area has one of the highest identity theft rates in the country, Farrell says. When police book someone for a crime, officers will be able to check magnetic stripes on credit, debit and gift cards to determine if the person who is under arrest actually owns the cards, he says. "As these card readers will be available in all police divisions, this contribution will help us decrease crime within our local communities," Farrell says. Police officials plug the card reader into a personal desktop computer, and a Microsoft Word document appears on the screen with cardholder information. The credit union purchased the readers from Magtek for $85 each.
