Allentown

The Lehigh County Auto Theft Task Force in conjunction with AAA East Central will be holding a free vehicle identification number etching event 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 26 at the AAA East Central location, 2072 Downyflake Lane, Allentown

The event is open to all vehicle owners in Lehigh County.

VIN-etching is the process of chemically etching a vehicle’s unique identification number on all windows and sunroofs.

The process does not harm the windows and doesn’t detract from the appearance of the vehicle.

Auto Theft Task Force detectives who do the VIN engraving use special software and a dot matrix printer to create stencils with the identification number on them.

The stencils then are applied to each of the vehicle’s windows and are dabbed with an etching solution.

The stencils are removed, and the glass is cleaned with glass cleaner.

The number remains behind and is lightly etched into the glass.

The process takes approximately five minutes.