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Glass

2005-12-29 14:16:00

Man traps... harder to rob banks

Question: How does bullet proof glass work?

Answer: I found some interesting information that kind of ties in with our article from last month on Bulletproof Glass! This is about a new way of preventing successful bank robberies utilizing some pretty good technology, and some bulletproof glass. A local bank in Wichita was robbed a couple weeks ago during a "takeover" robbery by several thugs who got away!  Betch'a they wish they'd had this setup at that bank. Here's the story…The man was clutching $1,760 and was just steps from a clean getaway last week when he became the second bank robber in an eastern state in 10 days to be gobbled up by a security system dubbed the "man trap," FBI agents said. After passing a note to a teller demanding money, police said the robber was headed for the exit of a Citizen's Bank in West Philadelphia, cash in hand, when an alert clerk pushed a button, automatically locking the 36-year-old between two bulletproof doors in the bank's vestibule. Days earlier, a similar scenario played out at another Citizen's Bank in Pittsburgh. Police arrested that bank robber after he was locked inside a chamber at the bank's exit as he tried to flee with an envelope stuffed with cash. Cool Beans, huh?The two arrests are the latest in a string of captures that have been made at Citizen's branches since its predecessor, Mellon Bank, began installing "man traps" - or Access Control Units - in 1994. "When it's been used, it's been quite effective," said a bank spokeswoman. "It's a great protection for our employees and customers."The traps, which are widely used in Europe but still rare in the United States, work like this: Patrons entering the bank pass through one door, which closes and locks behind them. In many units, they then pass through a metal detector, and if they aren't carrying any large metallic objects, a second door unlocks and allows them to enter the bank. In other setups there is no metal detector, and they must be buzzed in by a clerk. On their way out, customers pass through a second set of double security doors. Generally, the second door will automatically open once the first one has closed, but bank employees can lock both doors with the flip of a switch. For the average law-abiding patron, the system poses only a slight inconvenience.  Only one person can enter the security vestibule at a time, meaning that there can be delays of a few moments if several people want to enter a bank at once, but "customers know that they're there, and they don't seem to mind."  "We have installed more of them as time has gone on."Nova Comm, a Puerto-Rico based security company, said it has sold about 300 of its version of the trap since 1995, and has never seen a successful robbery at a bank with one of the systems. "It prevents the gang-type takeover robbery," said the company's general manager, who is a former security director for Puerto Rico's Banco Popular. "If you see somebody coming with a mask, or a gun, there is just no way they can go in."The systems, which cost $40,000 to $75,000, have gained slow acceptance, but might become more popular as the number of bank robberies rises after years of decline. The FBI reported 7,905 bank robberies in 2001, a hike of more than 20 percent since 1999. A spokesman for the American Bankers Association said "bank employees aren't expected to catch the criminals," but that the systems have been seeing some wider use in the past five years. "They are another tool, and banks always welcome new tools when it comes to the safety of their customers." Bulletproof Glass together with a "Man Trap" is good!  More interesting stuff next month…