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BANK
BANDITS If you were in a bank branch while a robbery was taking place, you'd know it. Wouldn't you? Maybe not. But holdups are happening, quietly and by the dozens--and more than twice as often as last summer--in neighborhoods all over the city. On Thursday afternoon, a man in a white T-shirt walked into the Bank of America branch at 1950 N. Clybourn Ave. at 2:50 p.m. and handed the teller a note demanding money, Chicago police said. He did not display a weapon and fled with an undisclosed amount of money. It was the 42nd time a robber has hit a Chicago bank since June 1, compared with about half that number--19--over the same period last year. Most real-world bank robberies aren't like the movies, where masked men (and sometimes women) storm into a bank wielding guns, screaming at customers while they empty the bank vault. Instead, robbers are more likely to pass a note to a teller, who quietly gives up the cash while customers continue to do business nearby. "Most people aren't even going to know a robbery is going on," said Ross Rice, a spokesman for the FBI. "Even the surrounding tellers don't know there's a robbery until after it's done." And what do all the robbers have in common? One thing, says Rice: "They want money. That's it." This summer, robbers have targeted banks in all parts of the city- -North Side, South Side, West Side and downtown. They've held up busy Loop banks and small branches. Some wore disguises: painters' clothes, a Cook County sheriff's uniform, a nylon stocking over the face. Others just walked in as themselves and handed a note to a teller. One even used a drive- thru window. The FBI in Chicago investigates bank robberies using a team of federal agents, detectives and officers from the Cook County sheriff's department. The bureau is responsible for five counties-- Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will--and this year there have been 139 robberies in that area, Rice said. Most of the robberies--93 so far this year--have been in Chicago. Last year, there were 171 robberies in the five-county area. The year before, there were 161. Bank robberies go in spurts, and the FBI doesn't speculate about why the number of robberies is going up or down. The average take is about $2,000, the FBI says, and most bank robbers get caught. The bureau says its solution rate is about three out of every four robberies, and convictions come with stiff federal penalties. A conviction on one count of robbery carries a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. The FDIC requires that all banks meet minimum security standards that include alarm systems, vaults to safeguard money and ways to identify people who commit crimes against the bank, said David Barr of the FDIC. The agency suggests using surveillance cameras, bills with pre- recorded serial numbers (known in the bank industry as "bait money") or chemical and electronic devices (such as "dye packs" that explode with a dye that stains money and skin) to help law enforcement catch bank robbers. So why, with all of that working against them, are people still holding up banks? "It's very much an act of desperation," said Troy Evans, a convicted bank robber who shares his experiences on the speaker circuit. "It's not as Hollywood portrays it--it's not John Dillinger or Bonnie and Clyde." Evans, who lives in Arizona, said he talked to 300 convicted bank robbers during his seven-plus years in a federal prison in Colorado. The common theme was a desperation for money--to finance a drug habit or to repay a debt. Most people who rob banks don't see another way out, Evans said. Banks will always be popular targets because criminals know that they are easier to rob than convenience stores or liquor stores, Evans said. Bank employees are trained to give robbers what they're asking for and not fight back. If someone robs a store, there's a chance the clerk could pull a shotgun from under the counter, he said. John Hall, who works for the American Bankers Association, says banks cooperate with robbers because the safety of employees and customers is more important than the money, which is insured. "The last thing that a bank employee wants--that anyone wants-- is violence in the lobby," Hall said. Less than 2 percent of all robberies involve injury, Hall said. Most are quiet and non-violent "note jobs," in which a robber hands a note to the teller. The note usually threatens a weapon, but the robber may not even display it during the crime. "Takeover" robberies, where people come in with weapons and take over a bank, aren't as common, but they have been happening more frequently the past several years, the FBI said. That type of robbery tends to be more profitable for offenders--and more dangerous. Evans said when he robbed banks to feed his drug habit, he put an unloaded gun in his waistband and would show it to the teller. He would ask for money in $20, $50 and $100 bills with no bait money, no dye packs and no tracking devices, tips he had learned from a former girlfriend who was a bank teller. No one else in the bank knew what was going on, he said. He robbed a string of banks in Arizona, Colorado and Nebraska and was convicted of seven--though he says he committed more--before an ex- girlfriend turned him in after seeing photos of him robbing a bank on the news. Evans now speaks to bankers about ways to avoid robberies, based on what he looked for when he robbed banks. Short of putting up bullet-proof plexiglass, which can interfere with a warm customer- service vibe, Evans suggests banks make their male employees more visible to customers. He also says employees should greet customers when they come in. Many would-be robbers are looking for situations that could give them the least amount of trouble, he said, and they don't want people to get a good look at them when they come in. If banks can give a would-be robber pause, he may pick another branch, he said. "The bank robber is always going to take the path of least resistance," Evans said. "There's too many choices out there." Most wanted Someone who robs three or more banks is classified as a serial robber, according to the FBI. The bureau tries to give unidentified serial robbers nicknames so people can remember them. Here are some of the Chicago area's serial robbers wanted by the FBI: - Randy Rencher: After escaping from Cook County Jail on June 27, agents believe Rencher robbed two banks, including one while wearing a county guard's uniform he allegedly stole from the jail. The FBI believes he committed an additional two bank robberies in 2004. Reward: $10,000 - Wheaton Bandit: Has hit mostly west suburban banks, usually in winter months, wearing a ski mask and gloves. Believed to have robbed 11 banks, starting in January 2002. He carries a semi- automatic gun, announces a robbery and orders all customers to the floor. Reward: $25,000 - Quick-and-Quiet Bandit: Believed to have robbed seven banks on the North Side. Last suspected robbery: April 2004. Reward: none. - Lunchtime Bandit: Hits banks in the Loop around lunchtime. Believed to have robbed 11 banks in Loop. Last was October of 2002. Reward: $5,000. - Bandage Bandit (above): Held up 13 banks with a scarf or wrap over his scalp. Arrested April 28 when he went to check on a discrimination suit in the federal courthouse. No reward was paid, the FBI said. - - - Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction
or distribution is prohibited without permission. |
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