Suburban Banks More Inviting....To Robbers

In an odd twist of the urban vs. suburban debate, here's an interesting nuance - bank robbers are finding the open atmosphere of suburban banks to be more appealing than the bulletproof glass-protected tellers that one often sees in busy urban areas.

1 minute read

August 24, 2009, 1:00 PM PDT

By Irvin Dawid

An increase in bank robberies in Connecticut's Gold Coast caused law enforcement to question why bank robberies had increased there while they decreased in Manhattan.

"...law enforcement officials tend to agree that relaxed bank security - often driven by an attempt to create a friendly atmosphere, without barriers between tellers and customers - can attract robbers..

If the barriers matter, this may explain the migration of robberies to the suburbs. "The most common areas to have these barriers are the urban areas, the cities," Agent Siegel said. "Once they get hardened, the robbers tend to go out to the suburban counties."

FULL STORY: In Suburbs, Bank Robbers Like the Layout

Sunday, August 23, 2009 in The New York Times - N.Y/Region

Social / Demographics Connecticut New York Law Enforcement Urban vs. Suburban

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