“It’s not profitable when you consider the risks,” Fairfield Police Officer Doug Day said. “They don’t get away with much money.”
A glance at the risk-reward assessment — the less-than-stellar chances of actually getting away with it, the stiff federal penalties for those caught, the relative lack of potential money gained — makes it clear that bank robbery is, from the start, a rather doomed venture, Day said.
Day added, “I don’t like your odds.”
The FBI currently boasts a 54-percent solution rate, according to 2015 statistics.
The number of deaths associated with robberies also has more than dropped in half since 2005, the FBI said.
Those who do rob banks are using less force to commit the crimes than in 2005, passing notes to tellers instead of displaying weapons. That reduces the possible length of their prison sentences.
But simply walking into a bank and slipping a note to the teller demanding money can result in a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Flash a weapon — or use even the threat of violence — and that number can jump significantly, prosecutors said.
At the two most recent bank robbers in Franklin and Springboro, the perpetrators handed tellers notes, demanding money.
Franklin police arrested Todd Davidson for allegedly robbing the Fifth Third Bank late last month, and Springboro police are still searching for the suspects who robbed Peoples Bank on June 30, they said.
Davidson, 39, whose last known address was on Third Street in Franklin, allegedly handed the teller a note and left with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. The suspect was described as having a goatee and wearing a black hooded jacket, black and gray baseball cap with writing on it, blue jeans. He left the area in a silver hatchback vehicle, the bank’s surveillance showed.
In Springboro, the thief, described as a white man in his 50s, handed a note to a teller that demanded money before he fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, Springboro police Sgt. Aaron Zimmarro said.
The suspect left in a dark colored or silver pickup truck. Witnesses said the passenger’s side door had a white band or sticker possibly covering a logo or lettering on the truck, the chief said.
Franklin Police Chief Russ Whitman credited improved surveillance cameras and well-trained bank staff for helping to solve the robbery so quickly. His department released photos of the suspect to local media. Someone quickly recognized the suspect, Whitman said.
The suspect lived in the area.
“Don’t rob a bank in your hometown,” Whitman said.
Since 2010, Whitman said, there have been three bank robberies in Franklin, and two of the suspects were caught.
Fairfield’s Day said robbers are understanding with the improved cameras, the odds of them getting caught have increased.
Criminals likely are concentrating on easier targets, like payday loans, authorities said.
In 2015, there were 4,091 robberies at financial institutions in the U.S., a significant drop from the 6,957 that were committed 10 years ago, according to statistics from the FBI.
Last year nationwide, 877 robbers displayed a handgun, 2,146 made an oral threat and 1,746 handed a teller a written note. Nine people, including eight perpetrators, were killed during those robberies, the FBI said.
In 2005, 1,690 times a firearm was displayed, 3,881 robbers made an oral threat and 3,136 handed a teller a note. There were 21 deaths during the robberies, including 17 perpetrators.
As perpetrator strategy has essentially remained the same, security and tracking measures have evolved significantly. At the FBI’s current disposal are databases, high-quality security footage, access to digital highway billboards onto which suspects’ pictures are plastered — all of which are used to track down today’s offenders.
Maj. Mark Hoffman from the Middletown Division of Police said banks are designed to be “difficult to rob” with the cameras, automatic locked doors and the possibility of tellers placing dye packs in the money bags.
That may lead robbers to other, less secure business, what Hoffman called “easier targets.”
Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser believes “modern technology” is working as a deterrent to keep thieves from trying to rob banks.
“People are aware of the cameras, and there are no secrets,” Gmoser said.
Some banks, like PNC, have signs posted on the front door that say the safety of employees and customers is its “foremost concern.” So customers are requested to remove hats, caps, sunglasses or hoods while in the bank.
“The safety of our associates and clients is our primary concern. We are always looking for new ways to prevent robberies and try to limit our staff from being put in harmful situations,” said Carol Huber, corporate fraud director at First Financial Bank. “With improved technology and comprehensive training, we can limit these types of incidents and we can provide the police with information they need to do their job.”
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