Where did all the bandits go?

For decades, Southern California was the undisputed capital of bank robbery. In 1992, as many as 28 Los Angeles banks were robbed in a single day. Then the number of heists began falling, part of an overall trend that has seen crime rates plummet across the country. The numbers have gotten so low, in fact, that for the first time in recent memory, the San Francisco region -- with less than half the population -- had more bank robberies than L.A. last year. Even Atlanta had more.
Read more: Southern California is no longer the bank robbery capital of the U.S.

Authorities escort the Cue Card Bandit after his arrest in 2006. He was one of the most prolific robbers in Orange County.   (Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times)

Members of the Orange County Sheriff’s SWAT team position themselves outside a Laguna Hills strip mall in 2006 before apprehending the man known as the Cue Card Bandit.   (Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times)