There’s good news and bad news when it comes to bank robberies in Southwest Washington.
The bad news is there have 14 robberies at financial institutions in Clark, Cowlitz and Lewis counties this year. Eleven of them took place in Clark County, including eight in Vancouver in a five-month period.
The good news is that bank robberies in Southwest Washington and the state overall are down to some of the lowest numbers law enforcement has seen in 20 years. And financial institutions are finding new ways to combat the problem.
“I think we are well on top of a problem that has ranked us as one of the highest regions (for bank robberies) in the United States for a decade,” said Special Agent Larry Carr, bank robbery coordinator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Seattle division.
Puget Sound crimes contribute heavily to that ranking, but Southwest Washington sees its fair share, he said.
Untold damages
More than financial loss, robberies tend to affect banks’ and credit unions’ employee morale and public perception of security.
Sites hit in Vancouver this year include Bank of America branches on Southeast Chkalov Drive and Broadway Street, First Independent and Wells Fargo on Main Street, People’s Community Federal Credit Union on Southeast Twelfth Street in Fisher’s Landing and Waterfront Federal Credit Union on Fourth Plain Road, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
“The more we talk about it, the more it happens,” said Bob Wareham, community bank president of Wells Fargo in Clark County. “It gives other people ideas,”
But for Bill Holguin, president and chief executive officer of Waterfront Federal Credit Union, public attention on robberies “isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it helps customers be aware,” he said.
Most robberies of financial institutions involve less than $2,000 in cash losses because there is little cash on hand and tellers are trained to give robbers small amounts whenever possible.
“We try not to involve much cash loss,” Wareham said. “Typically these (robbers) are desperate. They get what they can and run out. Almost every one of them is on drugs of some kind.”
Robberies often involve no physical injuries and can occur so quietly that customers aren’t aware of them. But even a quiet robbery can take a toll on employees.
“Even if it’s nonviolent, it’s still kind of a violent crime because the threat of harm is in place,” Carr said. “You start the ‘what if’ game, (and) no matter what the crime, now you’re mourning your own death and no one can tell you that your ‘what if’ isn’t going to happen tomorrow.”
Wells Fargo and Waterfront offer employee victims support, such as confidential counseling services. The FBI also has a free victim assistance program.
Waterfront lost one temporary employee after its first robbery in April, which involved gun shots but no physical injuries.
In the wake of those two robberies, a relationship with local law enforcement has helped the Seattle-based credit union known as Northwest Navigation Federal Credit Union until July.
“Financial institutions work very hard to make their lobbies as safe as possible for customers,” Holguin said. “We cooperate with police to give them as much information as possible to help ensure the apprehension of the (robber).”
For owners of any kind of business, he recommends inviting local law enforcement for a tour of the business and to review architectural plans to identify any weaknesses or safety issues.
“Always review your contingency plans and train your staff repeatedly so if something happens, everything’s on automatic,” Holguin said.
Holguin is considering training his staff under the SafeCatch program, which Carr and the local FBI implemented in 2006. About 43 percent of all bank and credit union branches in Washington use the system. It involves streamlining the robbery reporting process and getting employees to confront potential threats in a friendly, neutral manner that’s often disarming for a robber.
“I’m communicating a message of empowerment,” Carr said. “The traditional message is to do nothing, to let it happen, let the guy out and notify the police. By default it creates a more harmful situation in the industry as a whole.”
Employees at more than 250 Washington branches have been trained under the system, including Bank of America, where robberies have been reduced by 70 percent, Carr said.
“What you have is an empowered employee partnering with law enforcement,” Carr said. “And that develops the picture we see today with last year’s (rates) being lower than in 20 years.”
2008 ROBBERIES BY THE NUMBERS
104 robberies statewide (down 16 percent from 2007)
14 robberies in Southwest Washington
11 robberies in Clark County
8 robberies in Vancouver
50 percent of bank robbers caught nationally
72 percent of Washington bank robbers caught
82 percent of Clark County bank robbers caught
Financial institution robberies tend to be drug-related serial crimes, said Vancouver Police and the FBI.
Charity Thompson can be reached at cthompson@vbjusa.com.
