Chicago-area bank robberies down 60% from peak, FBI says
For the third consecutive year, the number of bank robberies in Chicago and the suburbs fell significantly, federal officials said.
There were 112 bank robberies in 2011 in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties, down from 181 the year before.
The area had its peak in 2006, when bank robbers struck 284 times, officials said.
“It’s a significant decrease, and it’s interesting to note we had over 200 a year for four or five consecutive years,” said Ross Rice, spokesman for the FBI’s Chicago office. “About every year the number was higher than the last.”
Rice attributed the reductions to a 70 percent solution rate, as well as media attention to arrests, convictions and sentences.
He said advancements in technology also likely played a role, with more banks installing high-end security cameras and the FBI inviting the public to help identify unknown robbers on a website, bandittrackerchicago.com, which is now in its third year.
“These cameras give us almost portrait-like images of the robbers,” he said. “We’ve even had cases of individuals that have robbed banks, gone home and gone to the bandit tracker website. We had a couple call and say, ‘I just committed this robbery, I want to surrender.’”
Rice said robbers typically make off with a few hundred dollars but can face up to 20 years in prison if caught. Many are repeat offenders.
Two of the more recent robberies happened at the same TCF Bank inside a Jewel-Osco store in Wheaton.
In October, a man with a hood over his head entered the bank and handed a note to a teller demanding cash before fleeing with an undisclosed amount. The bank was hit again Tuesday, Dec. 27, by a man wearing a dark jacket with a hood, glasses and a cloth over his nose and mouth. Police said he fled after implying he had a gun and taking cash from a teller.
Law authorities say banks inside large retail stores present different challenges in detecting potential robbers because it’s common for people to be milling about, even if they aren’t banking.
“It just sets in place a different set of security issues. It doesn’t mean there’s going to be more or less robberies,” Deputy Wheaton Police Chief Tom Meloni said.
The decrease in robberies put a positive cap on a year that also saw the statute of limitations expire for one of the region’s most-wanted robbers, the so-called Wheaton Bandit, who is suspected in as many as 16 heists since early 2002. Authorities lost the opportunity to prosecute him for his last known robbery on Dec. 7.
Meloni said the public can help prevent bank robberies by being vigilant while banking and by reacting appropriately if something seems amiss.
“All people, no matter where they live or bank, should be cognizant of what’s going on,” he said. “We should pay attention to our instincts. If it doesn’t look right, remove yourself. If it looks suspicious, call 911 and we’ll check it out.”
Bank robberies, by the numbers
The number of bank robberies in the metropolitan area hit a record high in 2006, but it since has dropped by more than half. Heres how the past seven years shaped up:
2005: 240
2006: 284
2007: 226
2008: 277
2009: 195
2010: 181
2011: 112
Source: FBI Chicago office