We applaud Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights, for her dogged efforts to get the law passed by the Utah Legislature. It took years to overcome objections from credit bureaus and businesses that grant credit to patrons. And then there was a two-year waiting period, written into the law to win the final OK from credit bureaus.

The law lets consumers lock, or freeze, their credit reports so a thief cannot open a new account, get a loan or buy or rent a home by using someone's stolen identity. That's a law many other states have also recently put on their books.

But Walker went further. Her legislation provides a quick way for consumers to unlock their credit when they want to take out a new loan or buy an item on credit by opening a new account. Credit bureaus are required to provide 15-minute access to the owner of the credit report.

During the two-year waiting period, the three major bureaus have devised systems to let borrowers use their Web sites or phone-in service to verify their identities and have their credit freeze "thawed" quickly. Two bureaus - Equifax and Experian - charge $10 to lift the freeze; TransUnion will do it free.

The law lets Utahns protect themselves against the fastest-growing crime in the nation. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year.

Identity-theft victims may not find out about the theft until they review their credit report or notice charges on a credit-card statement that they didn't make - or until they're contacted by a debt collector. Then it may take months and hundreds of dollars to sort it all out, the FTC warns.

Some victims are denied loans because of overcharging on their credit, and, in rare cases, they may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit, according to the FTC Web site.

Walker's law is a great service to consumers. It's likely to become the standard for security-freeze legislation that targets identity theft nationwide.