German police taking scent samples of activists

Yes, it is true. The police have been taking scent samples of activists. They say they want to be able to track them in case of trouble at the upcoming G8 meeting on June 8 in Heiligendamm, Germany. What will the police do when their trained dogs bark or wag their tails, showing that they've sniffed someone out in the demonstration? Will they let the dogs loose on them? Will they wade in and start busting heads?

The collecting of scent samples was a Stasi technique; Stasi, of course, being the East German secret service. The reporting on scent sample collecting has raised much consternation because it was a Stasi technique. I'm not certain that the Stasi had the patent on it. Perhaps, it is a technique used by many police agencies throughout the world. It is a new one on me. I've never heard of this way of tracking people before.