The Tristate closed out 2001 with four bank robberies — capping a year of an unprecedented number of heists that helped push southern Ohio to fourth place in the nation for bank robberies.

        Cincinnati saw its 57th and 58th bank robberies of the year Monday when two banks were held up — the Provident Bank in Corryville and the Key Bank downtown.

        No injuries were reported.

        In Springboro, three men robbed the National City Bank at 860 W. Central Ave. about 10 a.m.

        No one was hurt; further details weren't available.

        Then, about 5:50 p.m., the Provident Bank on Winton Road in Springfield Township was held up by two men who sped off in a four-door, dark-brown Cutlass Ciera.

        No arrests were made.

        Of 58 Cincinnati robberies in 2001, 28 have been solved. In 2000, there were 24 bank robberies in the city.

        Cincinnati's holdups, which came on the heels of four weekend shootings — two that were fatal — kept police busy Monday. It is an all-too-familiar frenzy for the department's Homicide Unit, which has been swamped with an unprecedented number of shootings and bank robberies since April's riots.

        “We are in unchartered waters,” said Capt. Vince Demasi, commander of the Criminal Investigation Section.

        “It's just one thing after another. It just never stops. It's been a grueling year, and I'm hoping it slows down,” he said.

        Overall in Hamilton County in 2001, there were 88 bank robberies, another unprecedented high. In 2000, there were 52 — a 15-year high.

        The Cincinnati FBI field office, which covers the 28 southernmost Ohio counties and includes Dayton and Columbus, now ranks fourth in the nation for bank robberies behind Los Angeles; Charlotte, N.C.; and San Francisco.

        Two weeks ago, the area had 267 bank robberies.

        The Louisville FBI office, which covers the entire state, reported 70 bank robberies in Kentucky.

        Columbus, which typically has more bank heists than Cincinnati, also had an all-time high number of robberies in 2001 — 131, said Ed Boldt, FBI spokesman.

        But robberies in Dayton were down in 2001 to 41 from 69 in 2000; and nationally, robberies fell to 6,453 from 7,130 in 2000.

        The frequency of local bank robberies in 2001 was driven by a rash of alleged serial bandits who hit several banks within a matter of weeks this spring and summer.

        At least four alleged serial robbers and a five-member serial robbery ring arrested in 2001 are accused of robbing more than 20 banks combined.

        Police think Robert E. Conway, 53, hit the most banks: 13 — six in Hamilton County, four in Columbus, one in Dayton and two in Northern Kentucky.

        “That will obviously increase the numbers much more dramatically than if people were to rob one bank and then not rob anymore,” Mr. Boldt said.

        To combat the trend, banks must make security more of a priority in 2002, said Cynthia Grow, a former bank teller who co-owns with husband Richard DEI Inc., a Forest Park consulting firm that designs and constructs banks and credit unions nationwide and in Canada.

        “When we first opened in 1985, it was hard to get banks to buy into the notion of security, and it still is,” said Mrs. Grow, 51, who fell victim to two bank robberies when she worked as a teller in Cleveland.

        “Banks are set in their ways and aren't willing to take a chance and take a risk because it's always worked this way and it's only a couple robberies a year,” she said. “But with all the robberies, they have been forced to sit up and take notice. If any other retailer would do the things bankers did, they would be out of business.”

        Robert Hoverson, chief executive officer of Provident Bank, which has had 25 branches robbed in 2001, declined to discuss the issue with the Enquirer or to allow questions referred to a security representative.

        But banks, including Provident, have taken steps to prevent robberies by installing metal detectors at their front doors.

        Other banks, such as North Side Bank & Trust Co., have enclosed their tellers and customer-service employees in bullet-proof glass. In 2000, North Side Bank branches were robbed four times. After security was beefed up, no branch was hit in 2001, said Jack Coors, president.

        “It gets old quickly,” Mr. Coors said. “It's just aggravating. ... It would be like you're driving your car and somebody carjacks you. Three weeks later, you're driving your car and the same thing happens again.”

The Year Ahead in Metro
Ten local newsmakers in 2002
New Year's Day closings
Young voices call for a coming together
4 bank robberies end record year for heists
Cold is here to stay
Luken in no rush to find manager
Mosque damage assessed
Muslim activist hopes for peace
New, tougher GED takes effect today
Oak Hills senior wins pageant
Police think deaths were accidental
Congrats
Engineering students get early college start
Fawn Candy founder dies
Local Digest
Police connect with collectors
Recreation Notes
Terwilleger considers run for Senate seat
Bones likely from flooded graveyard
Franklin family displaced by fire
Interfaith event celebrates peace
City divided over agency
CROWLEY: Likely newsmakers in 2002
Kentucky Digest
Accident kills 1, injures 2
GOP pioneer Warriner dies