Beware: Thanksgiving weekend is prime time for equipment theft

Equipment theft patterns generally mirror the overall economy. With the United States returning to a degree of normalcy post pandemic, the demand for equipment continues to increase.

With that in mind, National Equipment Register (NER), a national database of stolen heavy equipment,  wishes all of its clients and law enforcement partners a happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving holiday, and also encourages everyone to take steps to make it a crime-free holiday.

Like other goods, there is a scarcity of some types of equipment, which further fuels demand. This elevated demand for equipment results in elevated equipment crime and as such, all areas should consider equipment theft to be a viable threat before and over the holiday.

The infographic here shows that job site and dealer yard burglaries over the holiday are always an issue. Contractors, equipment rental businesses and equipment dealers in all areas should be aware of the heightened threat of thefts. In preparation for winter, care must be taken to protect machines staged for snow removal in publicly accessible areas. See the NER Snow Removal Equipment Theft Prevention Advisory for guidance.

Try to do something proactive to prevent equipment crimes from occurring. Small steps and minor attention to details may be all it takes to deter an opportunistic thief that is targeting your area. Below are a few fundamentals for both law enforcement and equipment owners.

If you are the victim of a theft or receive a theft report, please report it to NER online, or email NER at info@ner.net with as little as the machine make, model and serial number and the date and location of theft.