These sample case studies illustrate the effectiveness of NER’s resources in helping law enforcement identify recovered equipment and determine the machine’s ownership or theft status.

Owner Had Not Discovered Theft

While serving a search warrant at a remote residence, officers found a dozer among other stolen autos. Seeking assistance in locating and verifying the PIN information and to determine if the unit was stolen and who the proper owner was, the officers called NER. NER located the proper owner of the unit who had no idea that his unit was missing. As no police report had yet been filed and no insurance claims made, there were no records of this theft. A search of NCIC would not have assisted in this case. Among other methods of proving ownership, the owner confirmed that his company decals were a similar size and were posted on the unit. The officers did see the remnants of 2 ground-off decals, but they were indecipherable. The owner had left the unit at a work site off of a local highway and had not checked on it for months prior to these events. As the unit was inoperable, finding the proper owner allowed the officers to save the costs of transport by having the owner tow and remove the unit himself.

Owner Note: regular inspection of your inventory is not only a necessary step for theft prevention, but may also aid in the recovery of a missing piece of equipment.

Investigator Note: auto thieves also steal equipment; a unit with ground down decals or paint that looks as if there was a decal present at one time are red flags that warrant further investigation.

Reported to Police Correctly....... But Wrong Item

NER received a call to assist an officer with the identification of a recovered skid steer loader. As the NER Operator led the officer through the various locations where an identifying number could be found, all that was discernable was the unit’s roll over protection system (ROPS) number. Using the ROPS number, NER was able to research and identify the current owner of the recovered unit. When the officers met with the owner they learned that he had owned several skid steer loaders and he had inadvertently reported the wrong one’s PIN number to his local police department. As such it was later discovered that the report originally made by the owner had made it onto NCIC, however, due to the owner’s error NCIC listed the wrong PIN number. Therefore, a search of NCIC in this situation, did not match this unit with its rightful owner.

Owner Note: care should be taken to ensure that you are reporting the details of your missing equipment as accurately as possible.

Investigator Note: law enforcement should not be discouraged by a “no-hit” on NCIC. The trail does not stop there. NER is available 24 hours per day to help officers identify the owner of a piece of heavy equipment.

Insurance Records Found

A local dealership was called out to perform maintenance and repairs on an early model skid steer loader. The mechanic located identifying numbers for the machine and contacted their corporate offices to see if it was listed as stolen. The machine was listed as stolen in 1990, but there was no further information as to who it was stolen from, or what agency took the theft report. A local sheriff’s department investigator was assigned and being familiar with the services, he called NER for help. NER had an insurance loss record on the machine which provided all needed information to complete the recovery of this machine and return it to the rightful owner - in this case, the insurance company.

Investigator Note: NER's access to insurance claim data is a valuable tool when attempting to identify the owner of recovered equipment.

Owner Note: Reporting a loss to NER, in addition to the police and your insurer, significantly increases the chance that the officers who find your machine will be able to identify you as the rightful owner.

Thief Was Leasing Stolen Equipment

An officer called NER about a backhoe loader he had confiscated when his unit raided a company that was leasing out stolen equipment. After searching police computers, the officer was unable to determine ownership of the backhoe and needed assistance. NER was able to identify the owner of the unit as an area dealership that had recently leased it to a construction company. It turned out that the company that leased the unit from the dealer suffered a theft two weeks after they leased it. NER contacted the dealer about their unit and learned that they had just received a settlement payment from the construction company’s insurer. NER alerted the insurance company involved so that they could ensure that this claim was handled in the fairest way possible now that the unit had been recovered.

Owner Note: care should be taken to ensure that you are leasing equipment from a reputable leasing company. If there is a claim involving a leased unit that is under your care, and a question arises as to the authenticity of the leasing company and their authority to lease, coverage issues may arise with your insurance company.

Investigator Note: The use of stolen equipment may often be this brazen. Law enforcement should be aware of the variety of ways in which thieves use or dispose of stolen equipment. The M.O. will be a clue, the more sophisticated, the more equipment will usually be involved. As in this case, where there is one piece of stolen equipment, there will often be more.

Driver Towing Backhoe Flees Roadside Stop

Officers pulled over a truck and trailer hauling a backhoe loader for a routine traffic violation. When the truck came to a stop, the driver jumped from the truck and fled, leading the officers to believe that the machine might be stolen. Finding no theft report on the truck, trailer or backhoe, they turned to NER for assistance. The officers provided NER with the backhoe loader’s PIN and model number, which allowed NER specialists to research and identify the most recent owner of the machine. The officers contacted the owner, who confirmed that the machine was stolen, but he had not yet filed a police report.

Investigator Note: Delays in theft reporting are common. Often this is because equipment is stolen over a weekend or merely because companies with large fleets may not check the location of equipment as frequently as an owner of a car.

Owner Note: Report losses to the police and NER as soon as possible.

An Alert Dealership Mechanic

A trencher was brought into a local dealership for routine maintenance, where the mechanic there recognized the unit as one that he had serviced at another dealership, and had later been stolen. The mechanic called the police who went to the dealership and located a valid PIN number. Not finding any theft reports on NCIC, the officer called NER for theft or ownership information. NER was able to locate the prior owner and verify that they had such a unit stolen two years prior. NER advised the officer of the situation, and he began his follow up with the original owner to facilitate the return of the unit to the appropriate party.

Owner Note: registering your thefts, regardless of how old they are, with a national database linked to law enforcement, will put your lost equipment details in the hand of law enforcement across the country.

Investigator Note: develop relationships with local dealerships as they may be a valuable source of information and possible leads - NER can help locate an appropriate local dealer.

Missing Inventory Located

Law enforcement was approached by a tractor dealer who was suspicious of a used tractor that was several years old, but had almost no hours on it, in unused condition, and being sold far below current value. The dealer related that a separate dealer in a neighboring county had gone out of business without paying for his inventory, and that this might be one of those machines. The investigating officer called NER for assistance in determining who this other dealer was and any other information that could be generated. NER specialists contacted the importer of the equipment, who confirmed that thirteen similar machines had been delivered to the dealer, who had gone out of business and disappeared with the machines. The importer considered this a financial loss, and had not considered reporting the machines as stolen. NER put the importer and the investigating officer in contact with each other to discuss reporting the machines as stolen.

Investigator Note: NER’s contacts with manufacturers, importers and dealers throughout the country are a valuable resource to assist law enforcement with their investigations.

Owner Note: All losses should be reported to NER. If an item does not have a theft number it will be listed as ‘missing’ rather than ‘stolen’.

Roadside Stop

NER received a call from an officer who had just pulled over a man on the highway in an older model pick-up truck towing a well-maintained skid steer loader on a makeshift trailer. As the man was unable to provide proof of ownership or even a satisfactory explanation of why the machine was being moved, the officer impounded the unit. The officer involved called NER to see if the unit was listed as stolen, and for assistance in identifying the true owner of the skid steer loader. NER was able to locate and contact the proper owner of the unit who had only just realized it was missing and was sending an employee to their local police station in a different county to report the theft. NER provided the owner details to the investigating officer only one day after the theft. The officer was able to contact the owner and arrange for the return of the unit to the owner prior to a report being made.

Owner Note: equipment owners should register their equipment with a national database, such as NER, to optimize the chances of recovery if stolen.

Investigator Note: equipment can quickly move from one jurisdiction to another; as opposed to autos, it may take longer to notice missing equipment, working with NER increases law enforcement’s chances of finding the proper owner of a recovered unit.

Missing Rental Equipment Identified

NER received a request from city detectives who had discovered a large generator being used to provide power to an operation that was manufacturing narcotics. The detective could not determine a manufacturer or find a PIN plate, and contacted NER for assistance. All identifying decals had been removed. NER was able to walk the investigator through the identification process. Through the description provided, NER specialists determined the manufacturer, model, PIN that led to the most recent owner of the machine. The owner, a major rental fleet, confirmed the theft of their machine.

Investigator Note: Generators are often stolen by criminals who need a power source for an operation that they wish to carry out in a secluded area that may not have a ready power source.

Owner Note: Place decals on your equipment that identifies you as the owner. Even if they are removed, this will look suspicious to a trained investigator. NER warning decals are also available for users of NER’s HELPtech® program.

Stolen PIN Plate

NER received a request from law enforcement for ownership information on a skid steer loader discovered abandoned in a salvage yard. The unit did have a PIN plate, but no records were found on police computers. NER was able to trace the PIN to the dealership who originally sold it, and contacted the dealer who advised that the unit was sold to a major rental company. NER contacted the rental company and it was discovered that the unit was still in the possession of a renting customer, however it was determined that the PIN plate was in fact missing. NER advised the investigating officer that the unit was bearing a stolen PIN plate and then provided ownership and loss history of the actual unit by its correct PIN.

Investigator Note: It is easier for a thief to steal a PIN plate than to forge one. Encourage owners who find PIN plates missing to report this – in some states it is illegal to possess equipment without the correct PIN plate.

Abandoned equipment, particularly a ‘high theft’ item such as a Bobcat, should be looked at more closely as equipment is often stolen for a particular project and then abandoned.

Owner Note: If you discover your PIN plate to be missing you should report this to the manufacturer and NER. The manufacturer will be able to advise you on obtaining a replacement and NER will register the plate as missing in case it has been used by a thief on a stolen piece of equipment.

Agricultural PIN Plate on Construction Equipment

State troopers had received a tip that a backhoe loader in the area was stolen from another state and ‘re-tagged’ with a false PIN plate and decals. Before going to inspect the machine, troopers contacted NER for PIN locations and other identifying information. Once at the machine, troopers provided the visible numbers from the machine to an NER specialist who determined that these were agricultural numbers and inappropriate for the type of equipment found. NER directed the troopers to the location of the identification number for this machine, and the correct PIN for the machine was found. This PIN matched the PIN of the reportedly stolen machine from a neighboring state, and the machine was impounded and an investigation ensued.

Owner Note: as a thief may remove or replace PIN plates on a unit, applying hidden, owner-applied numbers or utilizing an NER’s HELPtech® program, may help to expedite the return of your equipment if recovered. If your plate gets stolen, report it to NER as there is a special ‘flag’ for this on the database.

Investigator Note: sophisticated thieves will ‘re-tag’ equipment - scrutinize how the PIN plate is attached and whether it looks too new for the machine.