ARA Insurance and NER Award Equipment Theft Task Force Officer
The American Rental Association, ARA Insurance and the National Equipment Register have named Detective Terry Haldeman of the Snohomish County Auto Theft (SNOCAT) Task Force in Everett, Wash., as the winner of the ARA Insurance/NER Theft Award for 2012. Haldeman will receive round-trip airfare and lodging to The Rental Show 2013 in Las Vegas where he will receive the award on Sunday, Feb. 10. In addition, SNOCAT will receive a grant of $1,000 for future heavy equipment theft investigations.
In 2012, Haldeman was responsible for the recovery of nearly $170,000 of equipment. His recovery efforts spanned the state of Washington and include a variety of farming and construction equipment. Through his ability to forge working relationships with other agencies such as the National Insurance Crime Bureau, NER and Washington State Patrol as well as county and local law enforcement agencies around the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, Haldeman led the state of Washington in equipment recoveries.
“Detective Haldeman is our go-to person in regards to the identification of stolen machinery,” said Sgt. Jason Longoria, SNOCAT Task Force, who nominated Haldeman for the award. In addition to recovering equipment, Haldeman provided training to more than 400 other law enforcement officers.
“Law enforcement officers on the road typically don’t stop machinery traveling on the roadways and once they do, they have no idea what to do with it,” Longoria said. “Detective Haldeman used the NER Law Enforcement Identification Guide as part of his presentations, stressing the importance of stopping this machinery, identifying the PIN numbers and determining if the machine was stolen or not.”
The illegal exportation of heavy equipment from the Port of Everett is of great concern to law enforcement because it affects both contractors and rental companies. Because of his relationship with Homeland Security and Customs officials, Haldeman has been the driving force behind vehicle inspections prior to their exportation from the United States.
Detectives Joe Williamson and Ben Black with the Los Angeles Police Department received an honorable mention from the nominating committee for their work leading to the capture of a group of active and well-organized burglars in Southern California. By working with officers in surrounding areas as well as private business owners, Williamson and Black were able to apprehend six suspects who were convicted and subsequently deported.
“Both of these nominations offer examples of how law enforcement works to protect the equipment rental industry,” said Alysia Ryan, ARA’s director of state government affairs. “It is imperative that rental operators work with law enforcement, monitor their businesses closely and report any suspicious activity as soon as they see it.”
ARA is an international trade association for owners of equipment rental businesses and the manufacturers and suppliers of construction/industrial, general tool and party/event rental equipment. ARA Insurance Services is an insurance provider to members of ARA.
NER, a division of Verisk’s ISO Crime Analytics unit, helps equipment owners manage equipment risks. Since 2001, NER has helped thousands of equipment owners deter theft and has enabled law enforcement to recover millions of dollars of stolen equipment through HELPtech, a national equipment marking and registration program. For more information, visit [email protected].
