Bank Robbers and Their Video Images

A bank was robbed in Odessa, Tx, on Wednesday, as reported in the Odessa American:

Bill Vanderland, Midland FBI special agent in charge, said a few tips had come in Thursday, but there will [sic] still no solid leads.
...
Vanderland said when it comes to bank robberies, which are a rarity in the Permian Basin, the FBI has to rely on help from the community.

The video tape of the robber was shown on local tv news on Thursday, and as usual, it was a grainy black and white image which could possibly trigger a recognition from someone who knew the culprit but wouldn't be of much use otherwise. And this suggests to me that banks are very complacent about bank robberies. There really aren't many bank robberies out here, so perhaps the expense is not proportional to the risk.

But, if bank management were really concerned about robberies they would install higher quality video equipment. And this would apply even more so to convenience stores.

Anyone who has seen one of those crime scene video tapes on television would probably agree that they fit in the lowest possible category of video quality. There are other things available, for example the "lip-stick" sized cameras there were used to record unsuspecting passengers in the HBO program "Taxicab Confessions" got some very good images. A few of those cameras placed strategically could get some high quality images of the perpetrator which could then be broadcast to the public.

The Odessa American quotes Mr. Vanderland as also having said:

"In my experience, people who rob banks are the lowest average IQ of any criminals we deal with," Vanderland said. "They're fairly desperate people without good judgment. They're not the rocket scientists of the criminal community."

But, it's a pass/fail test. If they get away, they've passed. And, as of the time of this writing, the Wednesday robber has passed.

Comments

[Redman]

I'm sure this isnt true of the cameras in banks, but some of those "security cameras" you see are dummies. They dont work, there is no tape being made, etc. They arent even real cameras.

Sort of like the "Beware of Dog" signs put up by people who dont have a dog.