NER® wishes all our clients and Law Enforcement partners a happy and safe July 4th holiday. We also encourage everyone to take steps to make it a crime free holiday.

The July 4th holiday is usually one of the most active periods for equipment theft nationwide, with the high demand for equipment in the summer months. All areas should consider equipment theft to be a threat just before and over the holiday.

As with Memorial Day, the trends shows that dealer yard and job site burglaries over the holiday are always an issue. Thieves also will target storage locations including contractor’s yards and facilities such as golf courses and parks and recreation facilities.

Equipment rental fraud and conversion thefts have continued to plague the industry, since a surge in 2018. Fraudsters are still active nationwide in 2022, and outright thefts from rental business yards are on the increase. NER anticipates that fraudsters and “smash and grab” thieves will be active throughout this summer as they were in the spring. The holiday weekend may provide opportunities thieves won’t pass up.

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

Please report any theft or fraud to NER online, or email NER at info@ner.net.