It's a quick, dirty crime that's happening with alarming frequency across Hamilton County:

        Someone walks into a financial institution, hands over a note demanding money, and escapes with cash.

        There have been 46 bank robberies in Hamilton County this year, just seven fewer than in all of 2000.

        And last year's total of 53 robberies was the most in the county in at least 15 years, authorities say.

        The numbers have risen dramatically. In 1997 there were just 18 such robberies in Hamilton County, said Ed Boldt, spokesman for the Cincinnati FBI office. There were 27 in 1998 and 26 in 1999.

        While authorities don't know why the robberies began skyrocketing last year, they do say robbers almost always need money fast.

        “Almost without exception, the people who rob banks are suffering from one form of addiction or another,” Mr. Boldt said. “It's usually narcotics, but occasionally it's gambling or alcohol.”

        But it's usually not the economy.

        “I can't remember when an investigator has told me a guy's robbed a bank because he can't find a job,” Mr. Boldt said. “So many of the people we've identified and arrested for bank robbery have had pretty spotty employment.”

        Cincinnati police said several suspected bank robbers they have arrested had drug problems.

        “They need quick, easy access to money and they don't think of the consequences of bank robbery,” said Cincinnati Police Spc. Roger Robbins.

        Take 52-year-old Robert E. Conway, accused of robbing six banks in Cincinnati and two in Northern Kentucky in about three weeks during April and May.

        Until his arrest in May, the drug-addicted career criminal had been a serial bank robber, police say.

        No physical injuries have been reported in robberies this year.

        But authorities said the danger of the crime lies in its unpredictability. Many times the robbers show a weapon or indicate that they have one.

        If the bandit panics during a robbery, it could sour quickly.

        “The dangerous thing about that is the innocent people inside the bank,” Spc. Robbins said. “The small amount of interference could turn into a very dramatic and dangerous situation. We've been very lucky so far.”

        Not knowing when a robber could strike was the fear of some customers at the Franklin Savings Bank in Roselawn on Tuesday. The bank was robbed twice in June.

        “My biggest concern would be being in any bank and having something happen,” said customer Amy Beiting of Pleasant Ridge. “And I worry about what the individual would do in a panic situation.”

        Customer Peggy Lamb of Pleasant Ridge said she always has the fear of a robbery in the back of her mind whenever she enters a bank.

        “People are gutsier these days than they used to be,” she said.

        The typical bank robbery nets less than $2,000, Mr. Boldt said. The robberies usually only take a few minutes.

        When one occurs, usually more than a dozen police cruisers look for the robbers. Descriptions are generally broadcast over police radios within minutes of the holdup.

        The intense search following a robbery can involve police cruisers from multiple jurisdictions scouring streets around the bank and deployment of dogs and helicopters.

        The increase in robberies has prompted bank officials to work more closely with law enforcement.

        “There have been neighborhood cops who have been giving crime prevention (seminars) for the banks, for the tellers,” Spc. Robbins said.

        “I have had a lot of calls from the banks wanting copies of our Cincinnati Police Department procedures for bank robberies, even for false alarms.”

        Law enforcement officials say they solve about 75 percent of bank robberies here.

        “Bank robberies do seem to be cyclical in nature,” Mr. Boldt said. “If they continue to rob banks, eventually they're going to get caught. The chances of getting away with it are really pretty slim.”

        Fifth Third, one of the region's largest banks, provides counseling to employees who have been in robberies.

        “We do extensive training when someone joins a banking center so they know how to handle situations like this,” said spokeswoman Stacie Yee. “People don't typically get hurt. Generally (staff) is very well-prepared and knows how to handle it when it happens.”

        While a robbery can be unnerving, employees tend to stay with the bank after a holdup, officials said.

        “I think the employees recognize that banks do more to prevent these types of events,” said Jim Rechel, vice president of fraud prevention and investigation for Fifth Third.

        Security receives constant attention by the banks.

        “I think the awareness level has remained constant,” Mr. Rechel said. “We have not seen an anxiety level relative to bank robberies.”

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