CONTACT:

Karen Blythe, Executive Director
Construction Industry Crime Prevention Program of the Pacific Northwest
503/618-8871
503/618-8869 fax
cicp@qcsn.com

Detective Floyd Marsh of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon discovered several machines that were suspected to be stolen during a drug lab bust in rural Gresham, Oregon. The PIN plates of the machines had been removed and PIN plates "appearing" to belong to the machine were found inside the house. When Detective Marsh ran the PIN plates on law enforcement computer systems, there was no indication that the machines had been reported stolen.

Detective Marsh called the Construction Industry Crime Prevention Program of the Pacific Northwest (CICP) and asked assistance in locating the owner(s). On August 5, 2002, CICP distributed an urgent crime information ALERT to members, law enforcement and partners including the National Equipment Register (NER), a service that assists law enforcement with the identification of recovered heavy equipment.

NER contacted Detective Marsh, who had successfully matched most of the machines to their missing Product Identification Number (PIN) plates. One machine, a Case 1840 skid steer loader, remained unidentified. NER specialists advised Detective Marsh where to look on the machine for a concealed ID number which led to the identification of the machine’s true PIN. The theft victim was then identified on both NCIC and NER’s database.

It was determined that the unit was stolen in 1998, a week after the victim, a small landscaping company, had taken possession of it. State Farm Insurance Company had settled the claim years earlier, and upon recovery, sold the unit back to the original owner.

The Construction Industry Crime Prevention Program of the Pacific Northwest (CICP) is a non-profit organization working toward the prevention and reduction of theft and vandalism on residential and commercial construction sites in the Pacific Northwest. The CICP Network consists of public and private sector participants including building trade associations, contractors, law enforcement agencies, criminal justice partners, local and state civic leaders, and community members. Governed by a Board of Directors, the CICP continues to be representative of the diverse activity of the construction industry. CICP staffs a 24 Hour Hotline and Reward Program and distibutes urgent crime information ALERTS to law enforcement agencies, members and CICP partners. Visit CICP at www.cicpp.com or call 503.618.8871.