ATM Closure Plan Is No Answer : There are many ways to increase safety; this is the wrong choice

A tragic crime has occurred: A man was shot fatally outside a Crenshaw district bank as he made an automated teller machine withdrawal after 3 a.m. So what do three Los Angeles city officials come up with as a solution? City Atty. James K. Hahn and City Council members Mark Ridley-Thomas and Nate Holden proposed a law mandating that all ATMs at banks shut down after dark. The proposal is well-intentioned, but a knee-jerk reaction nonetheless.

The impetus for the proposal was the ruthless killing last week of Gerald Jerome Anderson, 31, a postal worker, when he was on a break from his mail handling job. He stopped at the bank machine to withdraw money to put in the church collection plate later that morning. The killer, who remains at large, confronted Anderson, struggled with him and then shot the father of three.

There’s no question that Anderson’s murder demands a response, but it ought to be a more appropriate one. Fact is, the 45 ATM robberies in all of Los Angeles last year accounted for only .015% of the city’s serious crime. ATM crimes, which had been occurring at the rate of 20 a month in 1992, have dropped by nearly two-thirds since then.

Some bank ATMs already are closed early because of crime concerns, and that’s an assessment that can and should be made by bank officials, in consultation with police and community residents. But passing a law that would force all ATMs to close at dark--and darkness is coming sooner now that it’s fall--is beyond inconvenient. It doesn’t address the problem of crime. What could be next? Early shutdown of convenience stores if robberies occur there at night?

Why has ATM crime declined so much in recent years? Perhaps because many people are already are doing something suggested by Hahn, Ridley-Thomas and Holden--using ATMs in grocery stores, at busy, well-lit places and even at police stations. Perhaps they are taking advantage of the fact that carrying cash is less important these days and that the same ATM card can be used directly to purchase gasoline, groceries and more.

Should people be careful? Obviously. Should bank branches ensure that there is proper lighting and an unobstructed view in all directions at ATMs, or perhaps close certain ones after dark? Yes, those are good suggestions. Does it make sense to have an all-night bank teller machine in some remote or improperly lit area? No. But should this be legislated? No.