Law enforcement and construction equipment owners nationwide should be gearing up for the threat of equipment thefts during the period just before and during the Labor Day weekend. Thieves are often ready and willing to take advantage of vulnerable dealerships, rental yards, contractor yards and construction sites during long holiday weekends.

The National Equipment Register (NER), Jersey City, N.J., recommends making the following preparations:

• Ensure alarms and lighting are all operating properly.
• If you are getting a high number of false alarms, thieves may be testing your responsiveness. Watch for people “casing” your property. A guard during the holiday could be money well spent.
• Test cameras in daylight and after dark. Are the images of license plates and faces being captured? 
• Make sure fences and gates provide a complete barrier to adjoining businesses and vacant land.
• Move light or highly targeted equipment into service bays or more secure areas of the yard.
• Be sure where machines and trucks are parked do not provide cover to thieves.
• Conduct a security survey of the yard and buildings — walk around the property to see if there are vulnerable points of access or cover.
• Communicate with neighboring businesses, especially those which will be open during the holiday; raise their awareness so that thefts in progress are recognized and be sure their staff members have your emergency contact information.
• Designate someone to check up on the facility at different times during the holiday — random activity at your location could spoil a theft plan.

Should a break-in occur, be prepared to respond:

• Beforehand, determine what police agency to report to and do so quickly when a theft or attempted break-in is discovered.
• Get information on what was stolen out to other companies and clients as soon as possible.
• Report any thefts to NER as soon as is practical and contact NER on any equipment identification/serial number questions.

Review your fleet inventory:

• Update new equipment.
• Physically verify serial numbers/PINs. Does the machine ID plate accurately recorded in your records?
• Update your NER fleet registration and be sure your emergency contact details provided to NER are accurate.
• Keep in mind thefts also spike during the days leading up to and just after the holiday.

NER also suggests to not leave anything on a trailer as it is much more susceptible to theft. For detailed theft prevention information, download the NER theft prevention guide at www.nerusa.com/includes/WebLossPrevention.pdf. Also, find NER regional theft alerts, news and other items on the NER website at www.nerusa.com.

American Rental Association (ARA) members can register up to 1,000 pieces of heavy equipment with NER as a benefit of membership. Call ARA Membership Services at 800-334-2177 to learn more.