Has the rate of bank robberies gone ballistic?

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I was just reading a local story of a bank robbery by some dude in a wig. This one had a gun, pointed at a customer and the teller. This must be the tenth bank robbery in my metro area (Charleston, SC) in the last month or two. I don't recall ever reading about so many in such a short span of time. Bank robberies used to be rare, didn't they?

Out of curiosity, I news googled "bank robbery" and "suspect" together, and came up with a ton of what appear to be recent separate stories in the last month. Just over a thousand hits. Look at this:

http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=%22bank+robbery%22+%22suspect%22

Is this unusual? Do we sympathize with bank robbers, even armed ones? Is there something going on that could be a major national news story that for some reason isn't getting covered?




(edited because I can't seem to learn to proofread before posting...)

[htuttle]

1. Well, that's where the money is.

[virgogal]

2. Why would anyone sympathize with an armed bank robber?

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4. I dunno. Stranger things have been justified on these virtual pages.

Bad economy due to evil corporate overlords forces some in the lower masses to act in ways they otherwise wouldn't in a fair and equitable system?

I guess I was anticipating that argument.

[napi21]

3. When unemployment, & foreclosures are HUGH, some people will

resort to anything they can to feed their families (or just themselves) to survive. I don't know if that's behind the increase in robberies, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

I remember, many many years ago, when we had 2 very young children and the economy was bad, and layoffs were high every week, I asked my husband what people do when they just have NO MONEY? He said "Well, I'll tell you what I would do. There is bread & pastries delivered to lots of stores between 2 & 4 AM every day, so we might not be eating very healthy, but we wouldn't starve!" Now I don't think they do that any more. There aren't any small stores left, and the bog ones make their own bakery items and get the prepackaged stuff (WOnder Bread etc.) in a store delivery during the day. My husband has never stolen a thing in his life! He's sometimes too honest for his own good (in telling people what he thinks), so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of these robberies including bank aren't being done out of desparation.

[Marie Marie]

5. Sure seems like it to me

I remember when bank robberies were committed by only the hard core criminals after months of staking out and planning. Afterwards, it was a major news story. Now it seems that any thug with a baseball cap or hooded sweatshirt and a gun is knocking off a bank or two or three. Same with car theft which has become as common as shoplifting. It's a different world.

[Liberty Belle]

6. Check out the "geezer bandit" in San Diego, a freakin' folk hero complete with Facebook page.

He's robbed over 10 banks here, including some where he dragged in an oxygen tank. Supposedly he's around 70 though some think it could be a young person wearing a mask. Amazing that he hasn't been caught.

Even a banker I talked with said she was secretly rooting for him not to get caught. I don't agree but apparently there are those who think he's a down-on-his luck senior and they applaud him. Even though he's used a gun.

I'm amazed he hasn't been caught. You'd think any bank employee who sees him walk in by now would be dialing 911.

We've had a slew of other bank robberies, most not solved. There was a floppy-hat woman bandit who did get arrested, but most just got away. Even one who had the red dye explode on him.

I'm told one reason for the rise in bank robberies is that with credit card companies now accepting small amounts on plastic, retail outlets just don't have much cash in the till anymore. So the crooks all try to be Bonnie and Clyde.

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7. Here's a dude (I guess) dressed as Darth Vader.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/07/22/2010-07-22_empire_strikes_bank_thats_no_lightsaber_vaders_carrying_in_li_stickup.html

[Edweird]

8. Desperate people do desperate things. I seem to recall, however,

a few people here trying to convince me that hard financial times didn't result in more crime....

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9. Some people have a problem with justification of crimes.

I am one of them.

Don't rob banks.

Don't point guns at people while you are robbing banks.

They aren't heroes, they're criminals.

[Edweird]

10. I have my own weird little code about that...

I would never commit a property crime against another person, nor would I use any kind of violence against a person if I were to commit a property crime. IOW, I'm not going to break into your house and I'll never point a gun at a store clerk or what have you. Property crimes against corporations like Walmart are A-OK in my book as long as you don't violate the no-violence rule. Mom and Pop stores are off limits. But, this is all just my feelings about it - I haven't stolen anything since my early teens (I have always been a thrill seeker adrenaline junkie). This may change in the not to distant future if I don't get back to work soon.

[girl gone mad]

11. Yes. The rate of executives looting the banks they run..

and the rate of banks looting the taxpayer are off the charts.