Is It Possible to Tag a Person Using a Taser?

I wish to tag and track intruders to within 500 feet. Would it be feasible to implant an intruder with an RFID transponder, such as by shooting that individual with a Taser? Once an intruder has been detected and an RFID chip has been implanted (such as the type of chip used in the Ohio State penitentiary system), what would be the procedure for then removing the chip—for example, would it have to be surgically removed? And after the chip has been implanted, can information be added remotely to the chip’s database? Once I have answers to these questions, I will begin working with local authorities to identify and resolve attendant legal issues.

—Name withheld

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RFID is a short-range technology, and would thus be unsuitable for your application. First, there is no way to shoot a transponder into a human being—and even if you could do so, there would be legal issues to contend with.

Second, the transponders that would be implanted have a read range of approximately a foot, so it would not be useful for tracking someone.

Third, if you could Taser someone, why not simply do so and then arrest that person for breaking and entering? Why bother RFID-tagging that individual and then removing the tag?

—Mark Roberti, Editor, RFID Journal