American Rental Association Expands Law Enforcement Outreach Program

The American Rental Association (ARA) is expanding its law enforcement outreach efforts as rising machinery losses continue to spike across the U.S.

On Aug. 30, the trade association presented theft prevention training modules at the 2026 International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (IAATI) Vehicle Crimes Conference. Officials say the new training aims to give law enforcement officers across North America the advanced tactics they need to not only recover stolen equipment from jobsites, but trace that equipment and investigate further into the U.S.’s equipment theft issues.

The association has established its Equipment Rental Guard (ERG) division as a specialized theft prevention program, association members say. The program connects rental equipment owners with law enforcement agencies through a series of specialized databases, alert systems, and targeted training modules. All of this is in service of preventing equipment loss, and assisting in asset recovery.

“We were here to help teach a class on heavy equipment rental theft and what law enforcement officers can do to help us reduce that, recover the items, and help bridge a gap between our members and the law enforcement community,” says Ryan White, ERG’s director of theft prevention.

Addressing heavy equipment crime

The ARA’s conference presentation covered “key operational tactics,” according to association officials. Methodology includes identifying serial number locations on various machinery, utilizing the ERG databases, and making further use of text alert systems for recovering stolen equipment.

“A lot of times our members might not know who to turn to when something has happened, and in the same respect, our law enforcement partners might not know who to turn to when they recover equipment or when something is reported,” White notes. “Our tagline is ‘Keep it safe, Keep it rented,’ and that’s what we’re here to do.”

This presentation at IAATI marked the ARA’s first specialized ERG training at the international level, representatives note. The training drew attendees from across North America, with officials noting that smaller-scale sessions have also taken place in Ocala, Florida and Duluth, Minnesota. The association says conference attendees “responded positively,” expressing interest in the ERG division as a key theft investigation resource.

“We’re talking (to people from) coast to coast, even Mexico. This is helping us cast a much wider net,” White adds.