Be alert, be aware, stay alive

A letter from the AFA President

On behalf of myself and the entire Allied finance Adjusters family of repossession professionals, we would like to extend our sincerest condolences to the family and friends mourning the tragic loss of Gustavo Macedo. From what I have learned about Gus, is that he was a dedicated hard working young man who enjoyed his work in this unpredictable industry. His commitment to family and friends will certainly leave a large void in their lives and my heart and prayers go out to everyone whose lives were touched by this amazing young man.

Gustavo Macedo was tragically murdered while performing his duties as a camera car driver. Everyday throughout this country agency owners send out their employees to perform their duties in a hostile and volatile world. But the climate within this country has worsened dramatically over the past few years and we have seen an ever-increasing number of attacks resulting with injuries to our employees. In this case, it has resulted in the tragic and senseless loss of Mr. Macedo.

I am urging all agency owners to gather their employees and make them aware of the ever-changing environment around them at all times that we are experiencing while performing our duties as repo agents. Please urge your employees to become more aware of their surroundings and evaluate the risk. Locate and encourage your employees to take a course on situational awareness.

This is, and always has been a dangerous profession. Danger lurks, not only from the borrowers, but from the very neighborhoods that they operate in. And that is exactly why situational awareness and diligence to their surroundings needs to be an active part of everything they do in the field. It is your jobs as agency owners to reaffirm with them that their safety is a priority.

Tragic events such as the loss of Gustavo Macedo can happen anywhere, to anyone and at any time. While there are limits to what we can control, we owe it to ourselves, our employees and coworkers and especially their families, to ensure that we do all that we can to avoid them.

Be safe.