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Off-road equipment, such as that used in construction, agriculture, and road maintenance, is often difficult to investigate. In many cases, suspicious equipment is not recovered simply because an officer does not have the necessary technical knowledge to approach a piece of equipment and initiate an investigation.
However, the problem of equipment theft is sufficiently widespread that most officers or agents will come across suspicious equipment from time to time. The difficulty of finding needed information, increased budgetary pressure, and other crime fighting priorities give officers little time for these types of investigations. Fortunately there is a solution: new free resources available in the field at a moments notice and training materials that provide a basic knowledge of the theft problem, types of equipment and the ‘indicators’ of suspicious equipment.
The problem of equipment theft
Complete and accurate national statistics for the financial impact of equipment theft do not exist, but any measure suggests a huge problem that is getting worse. Some national surveys have suggested that the total cost could be as much as $1 billion each year in the U.S. alone. Perhaps the most worrying statistic is that as little as 10 – 15% of stolen equipment is ever recovered.
The reasons for this are clear and show little sign of changing. Heavy equipment is valuable, even smaller machines that can be carried in the back of a pickup can be worth as much as $45,000. Equipment is easy to steal as it spends most of its time on worksites that are very difficult to secure - open cabs and keys that start multiple machines only add to the problem. As title documents are not required and vehicle history searches are not often attempted, stolen equipment is easy to sell on the open market.
The National Equipment Register (NER) recently released their ‘2003 Equipment Theft Report’ – a study aimed at providing law enforcement, equipment owners and insurance companies with information needed to focus investigation and theft prevention resources in the most effective manner. This report is NER’s first national analysis of the theft and recovery of heavy equipment, seeking to answer the question: “Who steals how much of what, from where, how, why and where does it go?”
Based on over 4,000 theft reports submitted to NER in 2003, thefts most often occurred in the following ten states: TX, NC, FL, CA, GA, IL, TN, OH, SC, and IN. Although thefts were reported to NER in every state, the top 5 states accounted for 33% of thefts. The clearest trend in these figures was that the level of theft closely mirrors the volume of equipment in use in any particular area.
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While low recovery rates make it impossible to provide a full picture of how and to where stolen equipment is moved, there are strong indications that due to the few checks made in the used equipment market, thieves are confident of not being caught and feel safe selling equipment in neighboring states or even neighboring counties.
A complete copy of this report can be downloaded at www.NERusa.com/stats.asp.
The challenges facing law enforcement
Law enforcement officers investigating equipment theft are often frustrated by the barriers they face in locating, examining and establishing ownership of these machines. With 10 to 15% of heavy equipment being recovered and over 60% of autos being recovered, there is a stark contrast. Some reasons for this can best be analyzed by comparing the investigative challenges of heavy equipment with those of autos.
Getting to the machine - In comparison to autos, which in most cases are on public property, heavy equipment is often inaccessible due to the nature and remoteness of worksites or due to entry restrictions, both legal and physical.
Identifying the machine - Most officers can distinguish between a Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, however far less know the difference between a skid steer and a skidder. In some cases an equipment manufacturer’s name becomes synonymous with a type of machine (i.e., Bobcat), leading to identification problems when the machine under investigation is actually made by a different company. In contrast to a standard 17 character VIN for autos, Product Identification Numbers (PIN) for heavy equipment, are non-standard and vary dramatically in format among manufacturers. These PINs may be located in numerous places on heavy equipment, often in hard to find locations. Component or attachment numbers can easily be confused with a PIN while examining a machine, which only further complicates the identification process. Identifying the owner or victim - Data on equipment thefts is often not recorded, in the wrong file, or inaccurately recorded in computers to which law enforcement has access. As equipment is not titled or registered, data on ownership is not held on a national database or readily available to law enforcement. In the case of an auto, a standardized VIN with a computer accuracy check is always available and can be searched on state DMV systems. New Resources For An Old Problem
Information When You Need It
There is nothing more valuable than immediate assistance from an equipment identification expert, no matter the time or location. The National Equipment Register (NER) is funded by the insurance industry and provides law enforcement with all necessary information to investigate any item of off-road equipment free-of-charge. Launched in 2002, NER has already registered over 30,000 theft reports and provides access to over 8 million equipment ownership records so that an investigator can find out the owner of suspicious equipment even if there is no theft report.
By calling NER’s 24-hour toll-free number (866 FIND PIN) officers can request a search of NER’s theft and ownership databases. NER analysts can also provide officers with assistance in identifying a piece of equipment, locating Product Identification Numbers, verifying that the PIN matches the type of equipment in question, and finding insurance information on impounded or recovered equipment. Password protected on-line access at www.NERusa.com allows registered officers to run a quick search of NER’s stolen equipment database and offers information such as equipment investigation ‘Red Flags.’
Law enforcement officers utilizing the NER program include town or village police officers, state or highway patrols, auto theft units, and federal law enforcement agencies. In less than two years, NER has helped law enforcement recover over $4 million of heavy equipment, leading to numerous arrests and prosecutions.
Information You Carry with You
The basic information about the problem of equipment theft, what to look for when patrolling and how to ID equipment can be covered in a one-hour PowerPoint CD training program titled ‘Heavy Equipment Identification: A Training Class for Law Enforcement.’ The CD can be obtained from NER and is available to any law enforcement officer or department at no cost. The disc comes with additional hand-outs and reference material, as well as instructor notes so that the trainer can elaborate on a given slide while giving the presentation. The topics follow these general headings:
Depending on the size of the department, association or conference - and proximity to equipment auctions or dealerships - NER may also be able to conduct a larger scale training program (at no cost) which would include classroom instruction by an NER Analyst followed by a hands-on segment so attendees can examine actual equipment.
Understanding that information needs to be accessible when needed, NER also offers their free ‘Construction & Agricultural Equipment Identification Guide for Law Enforcement.’ This 54 page, pocket-sized reference manual which was designed and edited in cooperation with organizations, officers and agents around the country who are experienced in equipment investigations. Using this field guide provides the information necessary for an officer to understand the theft problem, know what ‘red flags’ to look for and have the technical knowledge to initiate an investigation.
The guide also contains diagrams of commonly stolen equipment showing Product Identification Number (PIN) plate locations, a list of manufacturers for specific items, regional terms for a piece of equipment, a guide to the keys used for heavy equipment, and provides terminology to help officers discuss equipment with colleagues, those in the equipment industry, and NER analysts. With over 30,000 of these distributed in the past year, the NER guide is quickly becoming an invaluable reference tool for officers.
Officers may request free copies of the NER Equipment ID Guide by contacting NER directly.
For more information about NER’s free services for law enforcement, please contact NER at 866 FIND PIN or visit NER on the web at www.NERusa.com.
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n 2003, recoveries were
made in 25 states by law enforcement with the assistance of NER. The following
states were the most active: CA, AZ, FL, SC, TN, GA, NV, MO, IL, and TX. 
