Think of bank robberies and the image that comes to mind is probably a Hollywood version where Depression-era antiheroes like Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow leave with guns blazing.
The modern reality looks a lot more like the low-key work of the “Mad Hatter,” a New Jersey robber who apparently was armed only with a threatening note.
“These days, it’s pretty much pen ablazing on a piece of paper, the guy walking out and nobody knowing, other than the teller,” said Special Agent Steve Siegel, the bank robbery coordinator for the FBI’s Newark office.
Despite security, robbers often are able to get away from banks with their pockets full of cash — though perhaps not as much as you’d think.
The “Mad Hatter” had an impressive run: 18 banks robbed and more than $60,000 taken over nearly a year, according to the FBI.
This past week, James G. Madison, a 50-year-old machinist who was released from prison two years ago after serving nearly 20 years on an aggravated manslaughter conviction, was arrested and charged with one robbery attributed to the “Mad Hatter.” He’s a suspect in the 17 others. He has said in jailhouse interviews that it’s a case of mistaken identity.
Hats in common
The “Mad Hatter” thrived on appearing to be average, a middle-aged man of average height and build who strode into banks quietly. He did not brandish a weapon or even speak. He just handed the tellers notes demanding money, got it and drove away in a Nissan.
The only distinctive thing about him was that he always wore a hat — hence the nickname. Distinctive but not original; two years ago, a man dubbed the “Fishing Hat Bandit” pleaded guilty to 21 bank robberies in Minnesota.
FBI statistics show the Mad Hatter’s M.O. was typical. From 2003 to 2006, about three in five bank robbers delivered their threats by note.
That’s not to say there aren’t any violent, gun-toting bank robbers. In Los Angeles, about one-fifth of robberies are committed by organized gangs that take over an entire branch. In New Jersey, an FBI officer was shot dead by a colleague when a stakeout of a similar gang went awry in April.
But mostly, violence is talked about far more often than it’s used in bank robberies. According to the FBI statistics, half of robbers threatened to use weapons, but only about one in four displayed a gun. Acts of violence are committed in about 5 percent of bank robberies.
In 6,000 to 7,000 bank robberies per year, about 20 people get killed. Most often, it’s the robbers themselves.
Nearly every bank now has surveillance cameras, alarms and other security measures, such as “bait bills” and exploding dye packs, but Siegel said not all of them work efficiently.
‘Bandit barriers’
Alarm systems usually ring at outsourced monitoring services. The monitors call bank executives, who sometimes verify with the bank that there was a robbery before calling police. The lag hurts the chances of getting a robber on his way out of the bank, Siegel said.
And while cameras are all over banks, they aren’t always aimed at the right spot. “I’ve been to banks where they were more concerned with tellers taking money than bank robbers,” Siegel said.
Then there’s the issue of “bandit barriers” — bulletproof glass that separates the customers (and robbers) from the tellers.
Commerce Bank based in Cherry Hill bills itself as “America’s Most Convenient Bank.” It’s also the most robbed bank in New Jersey — and was even the target in 13 of the Mad Hatter’s 18 heists.
Authorities say it would not be so bad if the bank would install “bandit barriers.”
But Commerce, like a number of other banks, won’t budge on the issue. “We feel that it’s important to our whole service model to provide a kind of service that is a personal touch, a personal service with our customers,” said spokesman David Flaherty.
Authorities say most bank robbers make off with not much more than $1,000, a small reward for big risks. The minimum federal sentence for a robber who displays a gun in one robbery is seven years. Get convicted of using a gun in two robberies and the minimum jumps to 32 years.
“Every robber that I’ve talked to is just like ‘I should have done something else because they’re hardly worth it,’” said the FBI’s May.