By ALLISON SHERRY, Colorado Public Radio

DENVER (AP) — Just a few days earlier than Christmas final 12 months, a person and a lady entered a KeyBank at 2nd Avenue and Broadway in Denver donning COVID masks and caps and handed a be aware to a financial institution teller: “Hand me all of your cash and you’ll not get damage.”

The teller, M.N., who stated she was terrified, handed over a grip of payments, $1,269, together with a covert GPS tracker. The robbers fled in a dark-colored truck.

Final 12 months in Colorado, that scene, together with the threatening be aware and the comparatively small take, occurred virtually 200 occasions.

In 2021, Colorado’s FBI area workplace ranked No. 1 for financial institution robberies within the nation.

Usually, Colorado has between 110 and 120 financial institution robberies a 12 months. That quantity dropped to 90 in 2020, through the top of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Final 12 months, although, it spiked to 195 robberies.

“It’s a lot,” stated Michael Schneider, Denver FBI’s particular agent in cost. “These are violent crimes. … These have a major influence on the individuals who work within the banks and even the shoppers.”

In Denver alone, the variety of financial institution robberies jumped from simply 19 in 2020 to 65 in 2021.

One Chase department on East Colfax Avenue was robbed 4 occasions in 2021, together with twice in two days in October. One other financial institution, a Huntington Financial institution department on South Broadway, has been hit six occasions since 2018, in line with Denver Police.

“Sometimes, financial institution robberies are dedicated by people as an act of desperation,” Schneider stated.

— Regulation enforcement place some blame on fentanyl

Regulation enforcement cite one thing else that may very well be behind the despair: fentanyl.

In the previous few months of 2021, investigators arrested 4 alleged bandits who had been answerable for greater than 40 robberies mixed. Three out of 4 of these suspects advised federal officers that they had been supporting fentanyl addictions, Schneider stated.

The alleged bandits get as little as $180 and as a lot as $6,143 per financial institution once they go notes throughout counters and demand cash, in line with prison complaints filed in federal courtroom within the final two years.

In Denver, there have been extra robberies in November and December, together with one at a credit score union department on Christmas Eve in 2021, in line with information.

— What the robberies appear to be

Many suspects demand cash in increments of 100s or 50s. Some threaten tellers that they’ll get violent in the event that they use dye packs to paint the money or GPS tracers. And so they usually warn financial institution staff, both verbally or of their hand-written notes, to not press any silent alarms.

Regardless of threats, many tellers hand over money with covert digital monitoring units hooked up, however skilled robbers will typically take away them and throw them away exterior. One robber threw single greenback payments again within the face of a terrified teller. One other went to a different teller in the identical financial institution and demanded more cash. They usually drive their very own vehicles to the robberies, in line with prison complaints.

About 40 p.c of financial institution robbers get away with it.

“Out of worry, C.S. complied with the demand and gave the male $865.01 in U.S. foreign money from the care and management of Chase Financial institution. The male fled the financial institution in an unknown route. No weapons had been seen or threatened, however C.S. reported ‘being scared and freaking out inside,’” in line with a prison criticism filed towards Owen Calvan King, who’s accused of committing seven robberies throughout the metro space between August 2021 and December 2021.

Seldom do thieves rob a single financial institution. It’s typical to see one or two banks get hit in a couple of days by the identical suspect. One man, Jordan James Nixon, faces federal prices for robbing 12 banks between November 2021 and January 2022 in Denver, Boulder, Longmont and Westminster. One other man, Joel Knerl, was indicted for robbing the identical Chase department twice in two days.

It’s additionally not unusual for robbers to serve time in jail or jail for a theft solely to get out and go do it once more.

Paul Hernandez, also called the “powder puff bandit” as a result of he used heavy make-up to cowl up face tattoos, served time on federal prices associated to a couple 2007 financial institution robberies. When he obtained out of jail, he robbed extra banks in 2020. He was arrested once more and launched on bond. Hernandez saved robbing banks. Authorities lastly caught as much as him and he accepted a plea deal in January. He’s serving time within the Buena Vista Correctional Facility.

“The robber entered the financial institution, approached O.C. and threw an envelope at her. O.C. noticed there was a be aware written on the envelope that O.C. learn: ‘It is a theft, give me $20,000 now.’ O.C. paused for a second and the robber pulled a black and silver handgun from his waistband. He pointed the gun at O.C. inserting her in worry for her life,” a federal prison criticism towards Hernandez stated a couple of theft in Westminster in August 2020. “The robber then stated, “NOW!” O.C. complied with the robber’s calls for and gave him the cash from her teller drawer together with a covert monitoring gadget. The robber then demanded more cash, however O.C. stated that was all she had. The robber took the cash and left the financial institution. The monitoring gadget was later discovered discarded in a car parking zone close to the financial institution.”

In that theft, he left with $696.

— 4 most prolific robbers arrested at finish of 2021

Federal officers adopted Colorado’s skyrocketing financial institution theft numbers warily, however be aware since they took 4 very prolific actors off the streets on the finish of final 12 months, the quantity has declined.

Within the final quarter of 2021, there have been 78 financial institution robberies. Within the first quarter of this 12 months, there have been 44, in line with FBI information.

Financial institution robberies are federal crimes and are often completely investigated by federal authorities. State prosecutors typically take the circumstances, although, until there are a number of robberies dedicated by a single particular person or firearms are concerned.

Federal prosecutors in Colorado filed 52 counts of unarmed financial institution theft prices and 10 counts of armed financial institution theft prices in 2021 — greater than in earlier years. In 2019, for instance, they filed 32 unarmed financial institution theft prices.

“We view these as crimes of violence,” stated Cole Finegan, Colorado’s U.S. Legal professional. “If somebody goes right into a financial institution with a gun or a be aware, they terrify everybody in that financial institution. The shoppers and everybody working there might be traumatized by that — most likely for the remainder of their lives.”

— Banks don’t need to speak about it

Regardless that financial institution robberies have been round since banks have been round, banking firms are notoriously tight-lipped about bodily breaches in safety.

They gained’t speak about what they do to stop robberies or shield their staff. They don’t speak in regards to the assist they offer to staff who’ve gone by way of this — some tellers have been by way of it a number of occasions. And so they forbid staff from speaking about it — even anonymously.

Off the file, one government accountable for a string of Colorado banks stated personal insurance coverage firms cowl the money losses and that it was customary to offer counseling to staff who’ve gone by way of one. When requested a follow-up query, he rapidly obtained off the telephone and declined to offer any extra particulars. Later a public relations government clarified they wouldn’t touch upon any story about financial institution robberies.

The Colorado Bankers Affiliation declined to assist on this story or provide folks to speak to — even usually — about financial institution safety. Wells Fargo declined to remark for this story, as did U.S. Financial institution and KeyBank.

— Fear extra about legal responsibility than cash losses

Don Coker, a banking safety knowledgeable and guide in Atlanta who labored in banking for nearly twenty years, stated banks fear extra about their staff and clients’ security than they do dropping cash.

“The economics of it, some banks do an evaluation and assume, effectively, OK, we’re going to lose cash if a theft happens right here but when somebody will get shot or injured right here, we’ll be on the hook for greater than what the robber will get,” stated Coker, who testifies as an knowledgeable witness in financial institution theft trials. “I feel the larger concern of the banks is the legal responsibility for somebody being injured or an worker. That weighs on their thoughts greater than any lack of cash taken.”

FBI officers present coaching for financial institution staff, however some banks choose to not have armed guards out entrance as a result of they consider it creates extra legal responsibility — notably if there’s a confrontation between a guard and a robber.

“It’s a private resolution for every group and a few banks consider that creates further legal responsibility,” Schneider stated. “Others don’t need the confrontation to happen contained in the financial institution. Banks are extra intent on getting the robber out, retaining their clients and retaining their staff secure.”

Coker stated even within the business, leaders don’t brazenly talk about bodily safety breaches.

“I don’t see it or hear about it in business conferences,” he stated. “It’s not mentioned a lot.”

He stated cybersecurity breaches are rather more prime of thoughts.

“The robberies are dangerous, no one likes it,” he stated. “However they’re type of like gnats flying round by way of a Chase department getting robbed in comparison with a cyber assault of Chase … The theft isn’t going to hit their backside line actually. Robberies are a couple of thousand bucks however the cyber ones, I shudder to even give it some thought.”

— ‘Life-altering occasions’

Nearly all of the Colorado robberies lately are what federal legislation enforcement characterize as “be aware jobs,” which implies the suspect passes a be aware throughout the desk demanding cash.

These notes, although, virtually all the time carry a risk of violence, Schneider stated, as a result of the suspects often be aware they’ve a weapon — even when typically they don’t present it or they don’t even have one.

“In our conversations with the tellers afterwards, these are life-altering occasions for them,” Schneider stated. “Right here they’re simply making an attempt to work. And because of these actions typically their lives are turned the other way up.”

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