2014 United States Bank Crimes by day of the week and time of day
Day of the week
Monday: 696
Tuesday: 669
Wednesday: 670
Thursday: 648
Friday: 803
Saturday: 339
Sunday: 50
Not Determined: 86
Time of day
6 to 9 a.m.: 106
9 to 11 a.m.: 1,037
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: 929
1 to 3 p.m.: 791
3 to 6 p.m.: 946
6 p.m. to 6 a.m.: 151
Not Determined: 1
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Old-fashioned bank robberies are still going strong locally and nationally despite the low success rate of those who commit them.
So far this year, three banks have been robbed in Hamilton — up from two last year and one in 2013 — and one in Middletown. Hamilton police are still in search of suspects in two of its bank robberies, but charges could be coming soon in the third, Sgt. Ed Buns said.
Bank holdups have dropped nearly every year since 2003, when nearly 7,500 robberies were reported nationwide, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Much of that decline can be attributed to better security, the way banks do business now and the high-tech age of debit cards, ATMs and electronic transfers, Buns said.
“There is still that belief the banks have money,” Buns said, adding that is not always the case.
In 2014, 3,961 financial institutions were robbed, including 161 in Ohio, according to FBI data. Ohio ranked eighth in the nation in number of robberies, a Journal-News analysis found, with California reporting the most at 510, followed by Texas with 245.
Hamilton’s three robberies have all occurred since July.
A woman robbed the Key Bank on Main Street July 22, and she is the suspect in at least four other robberies in Hamilton County, according to police. Buns said detectives have made progress in finding the suspect and charges are coming soon.
The search is still on for a female suspect in an Oct. 3 robbery at the First Financial Bank on Main Street in Hamilton. Witnesses told police the woman was wearing nurse scrubs and described her as a mid-20s, light-skinned African American about 5-foot-5-inches tall.
On Sept. 2, two robbers — a man and a woman — hit the First Financial Bank again. The female suspect is described as a “middle Eastern” female, with blue eyes, possibly wearing contacts. The woman is 5-foot-4 and was wearing an orange outfit that covered her head, with a black, long-sleeved shirt underneath. The male suspect is described as a light-skinned black male, around six feet tall with a heavy build, scruffy facial hair and wearing a blue Adidas hoodie and black athletic pants with a white stripe.
“It is the start of the holiday season,” Buns said of the possible reason behind the recent string of bank robberies.
But he also acknowledged there is often an element of “copy-catting” behind a crime trend that gets a lot of publicity.
A large majority of robberies are committed by males, according to FBI data, so the last three suspects in Butler County robberies are bucking the trend. In 2014, 4,347 robberies nationwide were committed by men and 376 by women, according to the FBI.
Police say it is part of a growing trend of women committing more felony crimes, which is causing local jails to overflow with female prisoners.
One of the most notorious female robber, who also fit the bill as a serial robber, Barbara Joly is still serving her 9-year prison term for robbing banks in Middletown and Warren counties.
In 2008, Joly, then 68, dubbed the “granny robber,” robbed four banks. Investigators say Joly was stealing cash to pay for her gambling debts.
Serial bank robbers are not uncommon, according to the FBI, even if they have previously been convicted. In 2014, 18 percent of bank robbery suspects were found to be previously convicted of the same crime or related crimes.
In June, Brian Parnell, 31, of Dayton, known as the “sock hat bandit,” was indicted federally in connection with a string of robberies in Kentucky. Officials suspect Parnell is responsible for as many as 10 bank robberies, including one in Warren County on June 8.
According to the FBI, 40 percent of suspects known to be involved in 2014 bank robberies were determined to be users of narcotics.
Michael Linton Jr. a suspect in Middletown’s only bank robbery of this year as well as two grocery story robberies, was found dead of a suicide in the Middletown City Jail in August after being charged with three counts of aggravated robbery. Linton’s family told the Journal-News that Linton struggled with drug addiction and robbed to support his habit.
Middletown Assistant Police Chief Mark Hoffman said digital cameras that show good images of suspects along with other safety upgrades have increased the number of bank robberies that are solved. The Internet also distributes a suspect’s face in descriptions faster and to a vast audience.
Some financial institutions have installed separate doors employees can close to keep a possible robber out of the main lobby if the person is deemed suspicious. And one bank in Middletown requires to patrons to remove hoodies and sunglasses, a popular disguise, before entering, according to police.
“It is posted on the door,” Hoffman said.
The modus operandi of bank robbers has also changed, statistics show.
In 2014, 2,179 robbers passed a note demanding cash, while only 930 used a firearm, and 1,666 made a weapon threat, according to the FBI.
“Jumping over the counter and going from drawer to drawer with guns happens in the movies for the most part,” Hoffman said, adding the amount of cash today’s bank robbers get is usually limited to money in one drawer.
“Using a gun adds to their their prison sentence. Smart robbers know that,” Hoffman said.
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