Modus Operandi (22 page)

The Professional Armed Robber

The professional robber spends his career striving for ultimate success —the big payoff, a robbery that will earn him enough money so he can live comfortably for the rest of his life. Professional robbers look for establishments with large sums of money readily at hand and a low risk of getting caught. The professional, because he takes pride in his work, will also expect a certain amount of publicity associated with his robbery.

Planning

Let's walk through the steps. Prior to the Christmas holidays, the diamond exchanges stock up anticipating holiday gift-giving. A professional may try to find an insider in the diamond exchange to help him plan the robbery. The insider may be a salesperson who will be paid off for his cooperation. Sometimes, the robber himself may apply for a position and work at the diamond exchange while he plans the robbery. This puts the robber in the best position to learn critical information.

The following questions will need to be answered: What type of security system do they have? Does it have a perimeter alarm? Are there panic buttons? Is there video surveillance? What is the best time to rob the store, that is when will the most merchandise and cash be on hand? Where is the merchandise kept and how it is secured? Is it in a locked safe? Is the safe only open at certain times of the day? Is there more than one place where the merchandise is kept?

He will have to know what other security arrangements are on the premises, such as armed or unarmed security personnel, and the location and the efficiency of the local police department. Are there additional armed or unarmed security block watchers? The professional will also, through his insiders, determine how many customers are likely to be in the store at different times. He will also formulate a plan to fence the stolen merchandise into money.

Through his research, the professional determines that Friday morning will be the best time to commit his robbery. Very few, if any, customers will be in the store. The display cases will be stocked in anticipation of upcoming payday and weekend sales. He has determined how to deal with all security devices and the best time to hit the premises to avoid the police.

The professional has decided to have one partner to commit the robbery. To gain entry, he will have to be let in through the front door designed to control access to the store. He and his assistant will be well dressed so entry is no problem.

The Checklist

What separates the amateur from the professional is not only training but preparation. Most nonprofessional robbers commit crimes of opportunity. The professional studies the crime and arranges a checklist of equipment needed, weapons that will be carried, and a schedule for the robbery. The checklist will encompass the entire operation, and is used to assure that all participants know their assignments.

Armed robberies require equipment, including small caliber weapons or handguns, which are easy to conceal. Other equipment may include masks; gloves, either vinyl or leather; and collapsible bags for carrying the merchandise. Plastic heavy-duty trash bags are ideal because they are strong enough to carry the proceeds yet can be concealed easily.

One factor that is often overlooked is the climate and weather conditions. A group of men walking down the street with jackets and gloves in the middle of summer is quite obvious.

Getting in and Getting Out

The entry may be made by our robbers all at once or one at a time. If they enter one at a time, the first person in will be the advance scout, who will survey the activity inside. This initial survey verifies that there need be no changes to the original plan and that no additional security has been added. If the scout feels that the time is not right, he will alert the other team members with a prearranged gesture.

Once inside, they may or may not cover their faces with masks, but will almost always use gloves to evade identification through fingerprints left at the scene.

Employees and any customers are rounded up and contained. The robbers pull out heavy-duty plastic trash bags and assault the display cases. Prior scouting showed where the expensive jewelry is kept, and this is collected first. If there is time, they will make an attempt to enter and loot the safe. Upon completion of the robbery, our robbers will exit the same door they entered, and flee the area.

Transportation to and from the premises is important. Stolen vehicles may be used and dropped off at locations where the stolen items and team members will be transferred. It is not uncommon to have team members separate to avoid detection. The loot will be held by one person, if possible. In their flight, they will change vehicles frequently, along with directions of travel. They may even hand off the loot to make the chance of apprehension less likely. A meeting will be arranged where the loot will be sorted out and divided. In other cases, one person may be responsible for fencing the goods and dividing the monies received.

Bank Robberies

A professional bank robber can be a single person or a gang. The gang usually controls the crowd inside the bank while one member cleans out the teller stations. This is especially important in large banks where the customer traffic is substantial. Bank robbers know that the easy money is in the teller stations, all the action will take place in this area. Bank robbers rarely enter vaults because of the time that it takes.

The lone robber is more likely to go to just one teller. In a small branch he may attempt more than one teller by starting at the middle teller or one close to a wall, so that he can be sure no one sends a silent alarm. He can also watch for other customers or security personnel entering the bank.

Lone robbers sometimes reveal their weapons; others just make threats, verbally or by writing demands on the back of a deposit slip. The robber will walk up to a teller and request the money be placed in a bag that he supplies. After receiving his money, he will promptly leave and follow steps to escape in a manner similar to the one used by our jewel thief.

The professional, through surveillance, will examine exit routes, parking for his escape vehicle, video surveillance locations, and the location of the bank's teller stations. Once inside, he will make use of this surveillance by acting familiar with the surroundings. For example, he won't be startled when greeted at the door.

When robbing a bank, it is important to carry the proper equipment. In most single-person robberies, a weapon will not be shown, but the robber will threaten its use. The bag used to carry the money can be a plastic shopping bag, a gym bag or even coat pockets.

When several people are robbing a bank, weapons will be shown immediately to control the customers in case one is an off-duty police officer or other professional. If one of the customers plans to stop the robbery, he will know immediately that customers along with employees may be injured in the crossfire.

Once inside, the customers will be collected or asked to lie on the floor. Certain members of the group will either stand at the door, collect the money from the tellers, or watch over customers and employees. They will exit and leave much like the criminals we described in the jewelry store heist.

Remember back a few years ago, when banks installed bulletproof glass to separate the teller from the customer? In some banks it would reach the ceiling to prevent a would-be robber from attempting to leap over the glass into the teller areas while robbing the bank. Walk into a bank today and see if this security method is still used. In most cases, they have been removed, because desperate armed robbers would demand money from the tellers by threatening to kill customers. This security measure, even though it may have been a good idea, did not work for the banking industry.

Armored Car Robberies

Although strip-mall banking and check cashing stores are convenient, they are also more vulnerable, and a secure method of transporting monies to and from them is critical. The trend toward establishing these banks greatly increased the use of armored cars and the amounts of money they carry.

Professional and amateur robbers both know that more money will be obtained from the robbery of an armored car than a bank. An armored car could carry several million dollars while making its rounds, which is obviously enticing to a bank robber who is very lucky if he makes ten to fifteen thousand dollars by cleaning out the teller stations.

Because armored car robberies are more risky and much harder to carry out, since the guards are well-trained and well-armed, armored car robberies are usually more violent. The same pre-planning takes place and will include some type of insider information about the arrival of the vehicle and the first and last stops it makes. The first and last stops are important because, if the armored vehicle is delivering money, it will contain more at the beginning of the route. If the armored vehicle is making cash pickups, then the more pickups, the more money it will contain at the end of the route. Robbers want to attack when the armored car will have the most money.

The armored car usually contains three armed personnel — the driver, a passenger up front, and one person in the back of the truck. Their weaponry will vary with the cargo and the location of their clients. All guards carry some type of handgun and will be in uniform. Military-style shotguns or rifles may or may not be carried.

The procedures of the guards are usually consistent. The driver may or may not exit the vehicle depending on the amount of the transfer. If it is a substantial amount, the driver will stand between the rear of the armored car and the establishment. The passenger will transport the money, and the person sitting in the bed of the truck will remain inside and only open the door at the time of transfer. This arrangement insures that the only loss is the amount removed for transfer and not the complete contents of the truck. Robbers know that an armored car is most vulnerable during the transfer of money, so this is when they strike. Their weapons will be out and at the ready, so there is usually an exchange of gunfire. Innocent civilians are highly likely to become victims of the gunfire.

While stealing money during transfer will net an armored car robber more than a bank robber, the most money will be obtained by stopping the vehicle before deliveries or after pickups. One way to stop the truck is by stopping a van or moving truck suddenly in front of the armored vehicle. The sliding rear door opens and a number of armed personnel exit. The criminals shoot at the driver's and passenger's front windows, which softens the bulletproof glass, so that bullets can be fired through it to kill the driver and passenger. Then, the rest of the gang informs the guard in the back of the truck that they will blow up the vehicle if the doors are not opened.

Armored car robbers have a backup team of additional personnel standing by with another vehicle, just in case they are needed to stop the police. These thieves will flee in the same manner as other armed robbers.

The Amateur

The amateur robber may come from any walk of life and may have many motivations. He may be a hard-working individual who, in circumstances beyond his control, decides he needs quick cash. He could also be a person with a substance addiction that has grown beyond his financial means. He may be a teenager or gangbanger looking for excitement, power and easy money.

Amateur robbers will commit their crimes during seasons when it is customary to have large amounts of money in the house, such as Christmas or during summer vacation. They find targets by observing victims who wear expensive jewelry or clothing. They might even follow an expensive vehicle back to a residence, and then as the owners are getting out, force the victims at gun point into their home and rob them. These robbers carry materials, such as handcuffs, rope and duct tape, which will be used to secure the victims. But, we have worked only a lew armed robberies in which the victims were bound.