Moline, Ill.-based The American Rental Association, ARA Insurance Services and the National Equipment Register last week formed the ARA Insurance Services/NER Award, which was created to honor a law enforcement officer or agent who has "performed exceptional service to the rental industry through the recovery of rental equipment or through theft-prevention initiatives." A grant of $1,000 will be awarded to the winning officer's department to support equipment investigations.
The award will be presented each year at The Rental Show, which is sponsored by ARA. In 2005 it will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from Feb. 14-17.
The award has been established as part of the partnership between ARA and NER that is central to the efforts that ARA is making to combat the problem of equipment theft in the rental industry. The partnership allows ARA members to register mobile equipment on NER's national database at no charge so that police can identify the true owner of the equipment 24 hours a day through NER's police hotline.
ARA members may nominate officers who have helped them combat theft locally in 2004. A five-person panel of ARA, AIS and NER management will decide the winner. To nominate an officer, contact ARA at (800) 334-2177, ext. 223.
David Shillingford, president of NER, noted the exceptional efforts that officers who investigate equipment make. "We get calls from officers at two in the morning who are in the middle of a field with a flashlight and a screwdriver looking at a type of machine that they have never seen before,” said Shillingford. “These are dedicated officers who are going beyond anyone's expectations to carry out investigations that many would not. NER can help them with information and expertise, but they are the ones who take the trouble to pull over and look at suspicious equipment. These efforts often go unnoticed and this award is a way of honoring and thanking those that make this effort."
