One of the most frustrating case losses for Det. Manuel Botelho of the Las Vegas Police Department happened when he had positively identified a rental car thief who used a fraudulent ID — except for one key detail.

Botelho had a picture of her distinctive orchid flower tattoos that matched another photo. “I took pictures from her Facebook. I took pictures from her driver’s license to show the same makeup, eyes, eyebrows, and tattoos from my prior arrest, matching up all her flowers.”

Botelho had documented the suspect’s identifiers during that previous arrest for driving a Lexus fraudulently purchased by her friend. Even the phone number she used came back to her.

After spending hours on the case, the district attorney denied it for “lack of evidence.” Why? Because the “terrible video” at the rental car counter showed the suspect wearing a face mask while checking out the rental car.

“We didn't have a picture of her with her mask down in the rental agency, which I thought was ridiculous,” Botelho recalled. “Unfortunately, because that rental company didn't want to ask her to take the mask down, I did all that work, the vehicle is still gone, and there were no repercussions for her actions.”

Botelho shared this story during a panel session April 16 at the International Car Rental Show in Las Vegas. The point: Law enforcement can’t recover stolen cars and prosecute the suspects unless rental car companies use the available tools and establish the clear procedures to document rental car transactions.

Botelho spoke on the panel with David Williams, an investigator with the Consumer & Environmental Protection Unit of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, and Kevin Carter, CEO of Collateral Consultants, titled “Law Enforcement and Recovering Stolen Vehicles.” Phil Spink, franchise manager for Sixt Rent a Car and Tom Wood Automotive Group, moderated the well-attended session.

The panel explored how rental car companies can work with law enforcement to boost the ability to collect vehicles and prevent them from being stolen in the first place.

The First Crucial Step Toward Recovery

Carter referred to a simple but often-overlooked point: A vehicle isn't truly considered "stolen" unless it's assigned a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) number.

“What we find in our daily activities, and when clients contact us asking to help recover their stolen rental car, the hardest part for most of them is getting the car listed as a stolen vehicle,” Carter said. “The clients often confused call for service number with the NCIC number that actually tells them the car has been listed stolen.”

The difference:

• Call for service number: The number documenting the interaction between the person reporting the stole vehicle and the detective or law enforcement officer taking down the information.

• NCIC number: If there is enough information to enter the vehicle in the NCIC database, it is assigned a number that records the vehicle as listen in the NCIC as stolen.

“About 50% of the time the vehicle is not listed stolen because they were supposed to return with a 10-day demand letter,” Carter said. “Or they were supposed to come back with a copy of a driver's license or follow up with the detective or officer. They either forget or fail to do so.”

Carter urged rental car operators not to try to recover the vehicles themselves. Thieves may have stolen the car for parts, or drug trafficking, or some other criminal enterprise.

“You're a walking checkbook for an incident in a very litigious society,” he warned. “I highly encourage, whether you call us, or call somebody that's a professional that can get this done, that you don’t put yourself out there and expose your company. You don’t know what these people or doing. Don’t expose yourself to that underworld.”

Getting Stolen Rental Vehicles Out Of Mexico

One question arose about how to handle the cross-border theft of rental vehicles into Mexico. Carter said he has pursued a lengthy effort to line up a company and a law firm in Mexico to recover cars there.

“Let me warn you up front it's expensive. The average cost is between $4,500 and $7,500, depending on how deep in Mexico it goes. Everybody in Mexico has to get paid. That’s just how it works there.”

The law firm will take a stolen vehicle report from the U.S. and report it stolen in Mexico as well, Carter said.

“That's a game changer down there because now they have the legal authority to involve the local police and recover the car. But it takes time and is not as quick as a recover here in the U.S.”

Spink added that a stolen vehicle must be reported in-person in Mexico. That means rental car operators must find someone in the country to go on their behalf and get the report.

Audience attendee Caroline Kim of Midway Car Rental in Los Angeles pointed out that vehicle recovery times and challenges vary by region in Mexico, with Baja easier than Sonora, for example. Especially with cartels, “it is a very dangerous scenario, and as much as we want to get our vehicles back, the safety is first for everyone. So be patient. Rely on your resources.”

Identity Theft and Targeted Rentals

Botelho outlined two common crime trends in the Las Vegas area regarding stolen vehicles:

Identity theft: Using a fake ID to rent a car. Law enforcement agencies can help each other track the stolen rental car because it’s a straightforward fraud that bypasses the more complex embezzlement process.

Red flag rentals: Customers renting a car for the day without baggage and could be gang members from other cities. “I'm not saying judge a book by its cover but maybe slow down your process in the rental or have checks and balances with your management. If you see red flags, can management come over and review the situation? Don’t be afraid to turn those people away. If it falls outside of your policies, there’s no reason to take that rental, “If it's $30 to $40 bucks a day, their intent is to steal your vehicle.”

Gang members often will try to rent such make and models as Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Charger, or Dodge Ram, Botelho said.

“All these vehicles that are very popular going over the border. So, slow it down, or just tell them no. If something doesn't feel right, you're 100% right. We all have that sixth sense of when something's going wrong. These customers act quickly and will be looking around. They are very sketched out. They're worried. They're getting ready to commit a crime. Observe body language and behavior.”

He also advised rental car providers to invest in video surveillance and ID scanner check systems, which can provide valuable evidence and speed up the recovery of stolen vehicles.

“If a customer doesn’t want to give you their ID or wants to be on video or take a picture, why? Every time you walk into a Walmart or a grocery store at self-checkout, you’re photographed. You know there’s copies of your ID at every hotel you checked into on a trip.”

Botelho encouraged rental car companies to cooperate with each other as competitors and form networks with area dealerships to notify the group of stolen or fraudulently purchased vehicles.

Aggressive Theft Prevention

To reduce the chances of rental cars being stolen, companies should establish clear, consistent policies with vetting renters and ask qualifying questions, Williams advised. “Are you employing trackers when a person comes to rent? What exactly are you asking them for? You can’t be afraid to offend the customer. Your asset is more important than adhering to somebody’s idea of being offended. If you stick to that plan, you’ll protect your assets long-term. Without your assets, you don’t have a business.”

In one example, Williams cited kiosk counters in rental car lots as vulnerable theft points. Employees can be under the impression that all information has already been obtained through the reservation, and they only need to hand the keys to the customers checking in.

Botelho and Spink also strongly suggested rental car operations empower employees to take pictures of car renters as a safeguard and not be shy about requiring one, especially in the era of TSA photos, scanners, surveillance cameras, and social media selfies. A facial photo is often needed to complete an investigation, as Botelho discovered in his case. 

In the post-COVID era, rental companies are also justified in asking a car renter to briefly lower their mask for a photo.

Other Best Practices

• Spink suggested GPS tracking of all rental fleet vehicles, which he uses for his 800 rental cars.

• Operators also should network and build bridges with local law enforcement and get to know investigators, panelists advised. And always show up in court as a witness at proceedings involving your stolen vehicles, lest the case be dismissed.

• Avoid renting out newer cars with temporary paper plates before permanent license plates arrive. 

“I know you’re trying to get that car to make money as quickly as possible,” Carter said. “The problem is you just took a tool out of law enforcement’s toolbox, because we have a nationwide system in place while recording the speeds of cars also captures license plates.” In addition, law enforcement investigators use license plate recognition software that can quickly scan lots and streets looking for specific vehicles, he said. “If you have a paper tag on the car, it does not have that metallic reflective quality that will trigger the camera to record in our system.”