The following three case studies illustrate the effectiveness of HELPtech in helping law enforcement to identify equipment and to determine the machine’s ownership. Further case studies can be requested by emailing info@nerusa.com.
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.
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.
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.
Note: Report losses to the police and NER as soon as possible.
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.
Note: equipment owners should register their equipment with a national database, such as NER, to optimize the chances of recovery if stolen.
CASE STUDIES
