Sunday, April 23, 2000
Bank robbers not the usual
Rash of holdups reveal odd mix
By Jane Prendergast
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Greater Cincinnati's rash of bank holdups points to a national trend in robberies — it's not only for experts anymore.
Among some culprits: a woman, a rarity in bank knockoffs, and a man who fled on a bike. Some armed, some not. No John Dillinger-esque gangs with elaborate plans.
Local banks have been hit 21 times already this year — compared with 28 robberies in all of 1999.
But officials caution against calling Cincinnati's current increase in holdups anything but an unusual spike in the crime. That's how bank robberies are, they say — sometimes there's a spate of them, mostly there isn't.
Possible contributing factors start with the obvious — there are more bank branches, said Mitchel Roth, an associate professor of criminal justice at Sam Houston State University who studies the history of crime. More highways allow faster getaways, too.
And drugs, he said. Like so many other criminals, robbers increasingly are motivated by costs of getting high.
So in spite of the threat of federal prison, sophisticated surveillance equipment and the fact that bank robbery is always reported, more people are out there trying.
One suspect sought in 16 regional robberies is nicknamed Average Joe because he looks like just that.
“Years ago, it used to be that they might work up to bank robbery,” said Edwin H. Boldt, spokesman for the FBI's Cincinnati office. “They might knock off a little mom-and-pop grocery store, then maybe move up to a liquor store. Not anymore.”
Local banks are keenly aware of the rise in holdups and watch for new ways to train employees, said Fred Mattress, physical security analyst for PNC Bank.
The Tristate isn't alone in this. Dayton has had 38 bank robberies, compared with about 70 in 1999. More than 130 holdups happened in Columbus last year. So far in that city: about 40. Cincin nati has always had fewer bank robberies than those two cities.
The increase does not, at least for now, extend south of the Ohio River.
Northern Kentucky has seen no bank holdup this year. The last one FBI agents investigated happened in Falmouth in November. All of Kentucky is seeing fewer so far — 11 for the state, compared with 14 at the same time in 1999.
No national trend is obvious either. In 1997, the most recent year for which figures are available, robbers hit banks 7,876 times. That's down from 8,046 in 1996, but up from 1995, when 6,758 banks were hit.
“There isn't any way of predicting it,” the FBI's Mr. Boldt said. “Obviously, we wish we could.”
Authorities also can't explain quirks like why robbers pick a certain day.
The current preference in Cincinnati: Monday. By a nose over Tuesday.
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