DANIEL J. FORTE

Bank robberies in Massachusetts dropped 15 percent in 2002, providing justification to the work of local law enforcement and industry leaders in the crusade to solve the robbery problem.

While 2003 started with five bank robberies in the Boston area, Massachusetts Bankers Association President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel J. Forte said he anticipates an overall decline in criminal activity this year.

“The rash of 2003 recent episodes is part of the cyclical nature of bank robberies, but it is the cyclical nature of things that helps catch robbers,” said Forte. “Typically, you will see bank robberies go up for three to four years and then down again. We are hopeful that despite the economy being soft, this 15 percent drop-off will continue to decrease.”

At year-end 2002, the MBA reported the total numbers of bank robberies in Massachusetts was 225 – a 15 percent decrease from the 265 bank robberies in 2001.

In 2001, the MBA formed the Bank Robbery Working Group – a group consisting of bankers from across the state, in addition to federal, state and local law enforcement officials – which produced a report for the Massachusetts banking industry including dozens of recommendations to help stem the tide of bank robberies, according to Bruce E. Spitzer, director of communications for the MBA.

Spitzer said the number of bank robberies at mid-year 2002 stood at 89 – almost exactly the same as the year prior – and when 2001 ended, a record-breaking 265 robberies had occurred, marking a 70 percent increase over 2000’s totals.

Spitzer said those numbers are not surprising, and he agreed with industry officials that many variables played into the rash of robberies in 2001.

Robberies may have spiked unusually in 2001, especially after Sept. 11 of that year, due to criminals’ beliefs that they would not be pursued as vigorously, according to Forte. In 2001, there may have been a higher cycle of bank robberies as criminals were let out of prison to become repeat offenders, he said.

‘A Big Component’

“There is a cyclical nature to robberies, and there are many repeat offenders. If you’ve solved one crime, you may have solved eight to 12 crimes,” said Forte, who also said that narcotics played a role in bank robberies. “From working with local law enforcement and the FBI, we learned that drugs were often a big component as a reason for robbing. Post Sept. 11, the borders were a little tighter and therefore exasperated the situation.”

Gail Marcinkiewicz, public affairs coordinator for the Boston office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said that despite the increase in robberies after Sept. 11, robbers are still focused on attaining one goal.

“If we didn’t have the spike in bank robberies after [Sept. 11], we would pretty much be at the same place,” said Marcinkiewicz. “The MBA put signs up to discourage [robbers], but statistically, the FBI nationwide saw about 50 percent of robbers using narcotics. If that is true, they are going to continue to rob banks until you stop them – they need the money and the drugs.”

Many recommendations made to banks in an effort to catch robbers remain confidential, but those few that were introduced publicly already have made an impact in the industry.

Forte said the increase in signs at banks asking customers to remove hats, hoods and sunglasses – the common attire of robbers – was encouraging and helped pave the way for what may be a national model. He added that without local participation from member banks, the numbers would not have declined.

According to Forte, 82 percent of all robberies in 2001 were initiated by note passers – an exchange between a robber and one teller – which was one of the reasons that law enforcement agencies asked patrons to remove the conventional thief clothing.

“We are encouraged that there has been growth in the signage, and the massmostwanted.org Web site has had about 5,000 hits per month. A number of bank robbers were captured because of it … and Massachusetts State Police have had a great success in tracking people down,” said Forte.

That new Web site went live on June 27 of last year and, according to Forte, immediately produced results.

Forte said many bank robbers have been identified from the site, resulting in subsequent captures, and it has become an extremely useful tool for the general public, bankers and law enforcement officials.

New to the banking scene in 2003 are the concepts of “greeters” and hidden cameras in banks located in high-risk areas.

Additional security or manpower is an individual bank’s decision, but Forte said many times additional security would only result in an increased number of weapons.

“Why increase the security risk? Safety is more important than money,” said Forte.

It takes a concerted effort to catch bank robbers, but Forte said the MBA and local law enforcement would continue to provide safekeeping.

“This is not a one-time project … we will continue to monitor the results and work with law enforcement and we want to continue to make a safe environment,” said Forte. “If we have to risk a little money to ensure a safe environment, we will do that.”