One Industry, One Standard

Collaborating to Advance Safety, Reporting, and Breach of Peace Prevention

DALLAS, TX (April 2, 2026) – The American Recovery Association (ARA) today announced the establishment of a standardized industry guideline for reporting violent incidents encountered during field recovery operations. This initiative reinforces the ARA’s ongoing commitment to improving safety, consistency, and professionalism across the repossession industry.

ARA recognizes and thanks the recent leadership efforts of PAR North America and MVTRAC/Secure Collateral Management (SCM) in the development and implementation of Field Protection Programs (FPP). 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 and MVTRAC/SCM to discuss ongoing safety initiatives and industry alignment. While both companies have already designed their own programs, they have expressed 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, SVP Vendor Management at MVTRAC/SCM.

ARA also acknowledges that many 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. Fragmented approaches and conflicting expectations create confusion in the field and ultimately weaken the effectiveness of these safety initiatives.

To support this effort, ARA will be hosting a client and forwarder roundtable in late April. 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.

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. 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.

“As the industry evolves, it is critical that we align on practical, enforceable standards that reflect real-world conditions in the field,” said ARA President Todd Case. “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.”

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 – best practices

The above focus areas will be discussed in detail during the upcoming ARA client and forwarder roundtable. These discussions are intended to ensure that all stakeholders have a voice in shaping standards that are not only consistent but also proactive in reducing risk across the industry.

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 upcoming roundtables represent critical steps in that process, bringing the industry together not only to align on standards for reporting violence in the field but also to collaboratively define and adopt best practices that actively prevent breaches of peace.

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 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.

About the American Recovery Association (ARA):
The American Recovery Association is the world’s largest association dedicated to the advancement and professional development of the recovery and remarketing industry. ARA provides compliance support, education, and advocacy for hundreds of recovery professionals nationwide. ARA is the founder and host of the annual three-day North American Repossessors Summit (NARS) — the largest repossession conference in the industry. For more information, go to repo.org or call (972) 755-4755.