Bank Heists in Southland Drop Again

Bank robberies in seven Southern California counties, including Los Angeles, have declined for the third year in a row, dropping to their lowest number since 1968, FBI officials said Monday.

There were 639 robberies in 1999, a 2.6% drop from the previous year and a 76% decline from the region’s peak year of 1992. That year, there were 2,641 robberies--equal to one holdup every 42 minutes on each business day, FBI officials said.

Except for one year, the number has declined steadily since then.

Special Agent Daniel A. Bodony attributed the steady decline to such increased security measures as bulletproof barriers for bank tellers, better training and tougher sentences for bank robbery convictions.

A steady rise in robberies of supermarket banks has also been reversed. Such banking facilities had become favorite targets, with a peak of 127 robberies in 1998. Last year, the number dropped to 69.

Takeover robberies also have declined, from a peak in 1992 of 448 to 144 last year.

Despite the declines, the Los Angeles area still remains the bank robbery capital of the country, Bodony said. The San Francisco region ranks second, with about 360 robberies in 1999.

Officials say the Los Angeles area attracts bank robberies because of its vast freeway system, the large number of banks and the extended business hours of many banks.

Robberies dropped in all seven counties except Orange, where the number rose to 140 from 129. The seven-county tally also includes Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.