Ahead of next week’s North American Repossessors Summit (NARS) in Orlando, Fla., the American Recovery Association (ARA) on Thursday established a standardized industry guideline for reporting violent incidents encountered during field recovery operations.

Association leadership said this initiative reinforces the ARA’s ongoing commitment to improving safety, consistency, and professionalism across the repossession industry.

“As the industry evolves, it is critical that we align on practical, enforceable standards that reflect real-world conditions in the field,” ARA president Todd Case said in a news release. “Safety cannot be approached in silos; it requires collaboration, consistency, and a unified voice.

“This standard supports agent safety, encourages de-escalation, and ensures incidents are properly documented without creating unnecessary barriers. Just as important, we are focused not only on how to respond when violence occurs but also on how to prevent situations from escalating into a breach of peace in the first place,” continued Case, who previously worked in law enforcement for more than a decade before entering the repossession industry.

ARA spelled out key focus areas include:

—Establishing a clear standard

—Clarification on police reports

—Supporting safer outcomes in the field

—Supporting industry progress

—Driving industry alignment

—Breach of peace prevention and best practices

To support this effort, ARA said it will be hosting a client and forwarder roundtable late this month. The association indicated this roundtable is intended to bring the industry together to collaborate, align expectations, and work toward a unified standard.

“The goal is not only alignment in policy but alignment in messaging, ensuring that agents, forwarders, and clients are all operating under the same expectations and reinforcing the same safety-first approach,” ARA said.

“A key focus of this collaboration, and a critical priority for ARA, is the development of standardized best practices specifically aimed at preventing breach of peace situations before they occur,” the association continued. “While reporting and response are essential, the industry must take the next step in defining clear, practical guidance that helps agents avoid escalation altogether. This proactive effort represents a significant shift from reactive reporting to preventative safety standards.”

Also on Thursday, ARA praised recent efforts by PAR North America, MVTRAC and Secure Collateral Management (SCM) in the development and implementation of field protection programs (FPP).

The association said these programs represent a significant advancement in supporting recovery professionals and reinforcing the principle that safety must always come first.

In addition, ARA recently met with PAR North America, MVTRAC and SCM to discuss ongoing safety initiatives and industry alignment.

While both companies have already designed their own programs, the association said these operations have offered “full support” for continued collaboration and alignment with ARA and will be actively involved in upcoming industry collaborations.

“This program is about fundamentally changing the dynamic in the field,” said Ryan Medina, senior vice president of vendor management at MVTRAC and SCM.

ARA also acknowledged that many other organizations are currently working to implement or finalize their own programs ahead of NARS.

“While these efforts reflect a shared commitment to safety, ARA believes it is critically important that the industry move forward together through collaboration, unity, and a commitment to delivering one consistent message across all stakeholders,” the association said.

“Fragmented approaches and conflicting expectations create confusion in the field and ultimately weaken the effectiveness of these safety initiatives,” ARA added.

In previous years, NARS has brought together nearly 1,000 repossession agents, auto lenders, forwarding companies, technology providers, and other operations associated with vehicle repossessions.

And staying safe will likely again be a primary conversation topic at the event.

“ARA firmly believes that meaningful progress depends on continued collaboration among forwarders, agencies, clients, and industry leaders. Alignment is not optional. It is essential. A unified standard, supported by a unified message, ensures that everyone in the field is operating with the same expectations and priorities,” the association said.

“ARA would also like to thank the clients and forwarders who have already implemented field protection programs and similar safety initiatives. Their leadership and commitment to agent safety have helped drive meaningful progress across the industry,” the association continued. “The path forward is clear: collaboration, unity, and consistency, working together to establish and reinforce a shared standard that not only responds to risk but also actively prevents it.”

For more details, visit repo.org or call (972) 755-4755.