Bank Holdups Ebb; Southland Still Leads U.S.

Although the number of bank robberies in Southern California has declined from two years ago, experts say the region remains the U.S. bank-robbery capital because of its expansive freeway system and high numbers of drug users.

The FBI estimates that one of every five U.S. bank robberies this year will be in the Los Angeles area, and police expect a seasonal surge in holdups to again exacerbate the problem during the Christmas season.

In 1983, Los Angeles County and its surrounding areas accounted for one-third the nation’s bank holdups.

“In 1983, (the city of) Los Angeles reported 743 holdups, while we had 534 in 1984,” Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Jim Grayson said Monday. “To date, we’ve had 270 bank robberies.”

Seasonal Increase

Grayson said holdups increase during the Christmas season, “just like most criminal activity.”

” . . . For instance, in 1983, we had 76 bank robberies for the month of December, compared to 35 to 45 for the previous months,” he said.

However, FBI Special Agent Fred Reagan, who said he has studied bank robbery statistics since Los Angeles began leading the nation a decade ago, said he believes that any Christmas increase in bank holdups would be slight.

Authorities attribute the frequency of bank robberies in the area to criminals driven by drug addiction, as well as to the freeways that provide easy getaways.

“Eighty to 85% of bank robbers are narcotics users,” Reagan said. “These people have habits that are costly and they have to keep getting cash from somewhere.”

Find It Easier

Grayson said addicts find it much easier to walk into a bank and demand cash than it is to steal and then sell the property to “fences” for disposal.

“In addition, most bank branches are accessible to freeways,” Grayson said. “These guys hit a bank and just turn a corner and they’re on a freeway.”

Bandits average about $1,200 per robbery and face prison sentences of 12 years to life in prison if convicted, Grayson said.

Bank of America officials said they expect the number of holdups at their 322 statewide branches to be smaller than last year, when the San Francisco-based bank reported 276 robberies statewide. Of those, 126 were in Los Angeles County.

Number Increases

“Through October of this year, we’ve had only 67 robberies in Los Angeles County,” said Debra Dohm, an investigator for the bank. “But it’s not uncommon to have that number increase between now and the end of the year.”

Last year, 1,453 bank robberies were committed in the counties of Orange, Santa Barbara, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Ventura and a small portion of Kern County--about one in every four holdups nationwide, Reagan said.

“We’ve had 880 holdups through October of this year and we expect to end with about 1,100 for the year,” Reagan added.