Stolen Equipment Investigations in Colorado

01The first hours

What to Gather Before the Trail Goes Cold

Equipment thefts are often discovered on a Monday morning, after a weekend with no one on site. The first hours decide how much evidence survives. Report the theft to the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction and get the case number. Gather the make, model, year, serial number or product identification number, color, attachments, any markings or decals, and photographs. Note when the equipment was last seen and who had access to keys, codes and the yard.

Then preserve. Site cameras, gate logs, telematics data, fuel card records and delivery tickets can all be overwritten or discarded. Neighboring businesses and residents may have cameras facing the road the thieves used. We help you secure those sources quickly and log what was kept. A stolen equipment investigation built on that foundation moves far faster. Owners weighing the cost can read our Colorado investigator pricing guide, and businesses with recurring losses can consider a fraud risk audit.

• Police case number
• Serial or PIN, make, model and attachments
• Photographs and distinctive markings
• Camera footage, gate logs and telematics

02Colorado industries

Construction Corridors, Well Pads and Working Farms

Colorado's equipment theft risk follows its economy. Construction is steady along the I-25 corridor, where Douglas County grew more than 11 percent and Weld County about 15 percent between 2020 and 2025, and highway work such as the I-25 Gap project between Castle Rock and Monument has kept heavy machinery on long, open stretches. In Weld County, oil and gas operations leave pumps, parts and materials on remote pads that may see a crew only occasionally.

On the Eastern Plains, ranches and farms spread across miles of open country, and machinery, trailers and fuel can sit far from any house. Mountain resort counties add a different mix of grooming, snow removal and construction equipment. Each setting calls for a different canvass. Owners in Weld County can start with our Greeley investigators, Douglas County contractors with our Parker team, and Western Slope operators with our Grand Junction investigators.

03Following the machine

Serial Numbers, Resale Channels and Transport Routes

Most stolen equipment is moved on a trailer within hours, then sold, stripped for parts or put to work on another site. We trace serial and PIN numbers through the records available to owners and insurers, monitor online listings and auction channels for matching machines and attachments, and watch for parts that fit the description. Distinctive wear, custom modifications and owner markings often identify a machine even after decals are removed or numbers are altered, and our skip tracing team follows the sellers.

Transport leaves its own trail. A large machine needs a truck and trailer, a driver who knows how to load it, and a route out. We canvass along likely routes for cameras at fuel stops and businesses, and we look for witnesses who noticed an unfamiliar rig. When a trailer itself was taken, our stolen car investigations cover the road-vehicle side, and our surveillance investigations confirm where a machine is being kept or used.

04Access and opportunity

When the Theft Points Inside the Company

Many equipment thefts involve someone who knew the site: a current or former employee, a subcontractor, a delivery driver or a security guard. Keys, codes, schedules and the location of the most valuable machines are not public knowledge. That does not make every worker a suspect, and a fair investigation protects innocent employees as much as it exposes a guilty one. We review access, schedules, telematics and records before anyone is interviewed.

Interviews are planned with counsel, documented and conducted without threats or false promises. When the facts point to an insider, our employee theft investigations build the record a prosecutor, insurer or employment attorney will need, and our employee background checks help with hiring decisions afterward. Repeated small losses, such as tools, fuel and copper, often reveal more about controls than about a single thief, which our workplace theft investigations address directly.

05Colorado law

Criminal Charges, Trespass and Civil Theft

How an equipment theft is charged depends on what was taken. Colorado's motor vehicle theft statute, C.R.S. § 18-4-409, defines a motor vehicle as a self-propelled vehicle designed primarily for travel on public highways, so a highway truck may fall under it while a bulldozer generally will not. Theft of other equipment is generally charged under the general theft provisions, and the district attorney decides the charge. Entering farm or ranch land to commit a felony can also be charged as trespass.

Under C.R.S. § 18-4-504, third-degree criminal trespass is generally a petty offense, but it becomes a class 5 felony on agricultural land when the person intends to commit a felony there, or class 6 if the land is unfenced. Owners also have a civil remedy: under C.R.S. § 18-4-405, an owner may recover the greater of $200 or three times actual damages, plus fees, from the thief or a holder, except a good-faith purchaser. Our stolen assets investigations and attorney support explain how those claims are built.

06Insurers and claims

Independent Reviews of Equipment Theft Claims

Colorado law expects insurers to take fraud seriously. Under C.R.S. § 10-1-128, insurers must maintain an anti-fraud plan that includes hiring or contracting for fraud investigators, and they must report suspected fraud. Presenting a false insurance claim with intent to defraud can be a felony under C.R.S. § 18-5-211. Equipment claims sometimes involve machines that were sold, pledged, hidden on another site or never existed in the condition described, issues our shock audits sometimes surface first.

Our claim reviews are factual and balanced. We confirm the equipment's history and last known location, check the account against site records, telematics and cameras, interview witnesses and look at the financial context where lawful sources show it. We report what supports the claim as plainly as what undercuts it. Carriers can read more on our Colorado insurance investigations page, and recurring clients often add insurance claim surveillance when an insured's activity is in question.

07How we work

Lawful Methods, One Leader and a Written Price

We do not repossess equipment, cut locks, enter yards without permission or confront the people holding a machine. When we find it, we document its location and condition from public places and hand the findings to police, who handle recovery. Delator Group is licensed as a private investigation firm in Tennessee, operates from Nashville and has no Colorado office; because Colorado has no state investigator license, we apply Tennessee's standard to every Colorado engagement.

Each case begins with a written scope and budget. Investigative time is $100 per hour, field-work skip tracing for a suspect starts at $1,000, audits start at $1,200 and asset investigations carry a $1,000 minimum. One member of leadership stays responsible for the file from intake to report. Our published Colorado rates list every price, and our risk management services help sites reduce the chance of the next theft.

Services

Stolen Equipment Investigation Services in Colorado

• Site evidence preservationWe secure camera footage, gate logs, telematics data and delivery records before they are overwritten, and log each source for the file.Learn more
• Serial and PIN tracingIdentifying numbers, attachments and owner markings are traced through available records and resale channels to find where a machine has surfaced.Learn more
• Listing and auction monitoringOnline marketplaces, regional auctions and parts listings are watched for machines, attachments and components that match the stolen equipment's description.Learn more
• Route and transport canvassWe look for cameras and witnesses along the likely route a truck and trailer would take out of the area after the theft.Learn more
• Insider access reviewKeys, codes, schedules and telematics are reviewed before any interview, protecting innocent workers while identifying who truly had the opportunity.Learn more
• Trailer and truck theftsWhen the road vehicle that carried the equipment was also taken, we trace it alongside the machine using motor vehicle methods.Learn more
• Insurance claim reviewsFor carriers, a balanced review of the equipment's history, last location, site records and the circumstances behind the reported theft.Learn more
• Civil theft supportWe document who held the equipment and what they knew, supporting counsel's claim for treble damages under C.R.S. § 18-4-405.Learn more
• Theft prevention reviewAfter a loss, we assess site security, key control and inventory practices so the operation is harder to target next time.Learn more

How it works

How an Equipment Theft Case Proceeds

1. 01

   Intake and preservation

   A member of leadership reviews the police case number, equipment details and site layout, then identifies the cameras, logs and records that need preserving first.

2. 02

   Written scope and budget

   We set out the tracing, canvass and interview steps, the expected hours and the cost in writing, and begin only after you or counsel approve.

3. 03

   Trace, canvass and review

   Investigators follow serial numbers and listings, canvass likely transport routes, review insider access and confirm any located machine from public places before handing it to police.

4. 04

   Report for recovery and claims

   You receive a sourced report suited to police, your insurer or counsel, covering the equipment's path, the people involved and the evidence behind each finding.

Compare

Equipment Theft and Colorado Law at a Glance

Statewide coverage

Equipment Theft Cases Across Colorado

Delator assigns investigators to equipment theft cases across Colorado, from Front Range construction corridors and Weld County well sites to Eastern Plains farms, mountain resort counties and Western Slope operations. Contractors in Adams County can begin with our Thornton investigators, Larimer County owners with our Fort Collins team, and southern operators with our Pueblo investigators. Delator keeps no Colorado office. We coordinate with the investigating agency, keep one leader responsible for the case, and confirm the scope and price in writing before work starts.

• Greeley
• Fort Collins
• Thornton
• Parker
• Pueblo
• Grand Junction
• All of Colorado

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Every service

Investigations available in Colorado

Every service below is available in Colorado and across Colorado, run by the same Delator Group leadership that manages our Tennessee casework. Choose a service to read how it works in Colorado.

Service areas

Private investigators across Colorado