Modus Operandi (23 page)

The Down-on-His-Luck'er

Let's first discuss how a first-time, middle-class, down-on-his-luck armed robber goes about committing a crime. He goes to a neighborhood where no one knows him and looks for a convenience store, gas station, small bank or department store. There will be little or no planning, and a short time before the robbery, he will try to motivate himself to commit the crime. He enters the location, and if he has a gun, he will show it. If not, he will threaten that he has one, and demand the money.

He will be noticeably nervous, which may include voice and body trembling and profuse sweating. The attendant being robbed will notice strong, foul-smelling body odor and bad breath due to additional perspiration and a dry mouth brought on by fear and/or excitement. Sometimes, alcohol or a narcotic may be used for a calming effect or to obtain the nerve to commit the crime.

If the employee refuses to turn over any money, which he should not do, the amateur will usually flee without the money. If he gets his money, he leaves and in most cases returns home. For his getaway, he will park a few blocks away in his own vehicle and walk to and from the robbery. If he used a weapon, he will usually make no attempt to rid himself of it.

The Juvenile

When a teenager or young adult robs a location, it will most likely be in or near his neighborhood. This is because young adults rarely have their own transportation. He will usually be assisted by his friends, and there may be some pre-planning prior to the robbery. However, the pre-planning is sketchy at best and basically includes only the location and who will approach the employee. They may scout just prior to the robbery to determine the number of people in the store. Juveniles almost always arm themselves with a cheap small caliber handgun.

Juvenile robbers are often quite violent and their crimes usually end with serious injury or death to either the victim or the robber. The robber may be killed if the owner has a weapon available. If a customer walks into the store during the robbery, or if shooting breaks out during the robbery, the customer will become involved. This type of robbery is very fast, and the loot is usually just the money in the cash register. Getaway is on foot or in a stolen vehicle parked and left running just outside the door.

The Desperate Drug Addict

The substance abuser, because of his need for quick money, will usually perform a robbery of opportunity when the circumstances are right. These circumstances may include an elderly person walking alone, a person walking in a secluded area, or a intoxicated victim. He will brandish or threaten to have a knife or a gun and demand the money. He leaves the scene on foot.

Gang-Bangers

Gang members, mostly of Asian gangs, place a prominent businessman under surveillance and follow him home or to his place of business. When the businessman is alone, they approach him and become violent and abusive towards him. They tie him up and demand money. Asians have a custom of keeping money in their homes and places of business during certain holidays for luck. These are ideal times for the armed robbers to strike. If this robbery takes place in the victim's home, they will threaten any other family members present with bodily harm if they refuse to comply with their demands. Some Asian businessmen do not use banks the way they should, and large amounts of cash will be available for thieves.

Other armed robberies by young aggressive street gangs often become violent. The street people will demand money at gunpoint or threaten to cut you with their knife. There have even been cases where a person was threatened with an IV syringe filled with HIV-positive blood. The victim is followed until he reaches a secluded location where the robbery can take place undetected. Common choices include exit and entry stairways to subways, subway platforms in the late night or early morning hours, deserted streets, or vehicles waiting for a light to change.

Automatic Teller Robberies

Since automatic teller machines (ATMs) are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, they are a ready source of quick cash for armed robbers. Most bank machines have a daily withdrawal limit, so the stolen amounts are relatively small, $500 or less.

The armed robber will stake out an isolated ATM machine in the late evening or early morning hours. When the victim arrives, he is evaluated for his vulnerabilities. By this we mean is the victim alone, big in stature, or one who looks like he may put up a struggle? Is there traffic on the sidewalks and streets?

Some ATMs are enclosed with a self-locking door. The robber will wait until the victim starts his transaction, and by either pre-rigging the door, defeating the locking mechanism, or having a magnetic card himself, gain entry into the ATM area.

The victim will then be forced at gunpoint or knife point to withdraw the entire transaction limit, which will be stolen by our thief. The thief will then exit on foot from the scene. There have also been reported cases where the victim was kidnapped and held for a period of time so that a daily routine of stealing can be achieved.

Taxis

Taxi drivers are one of the primary, if not the main, victims of armed robbery. They have ready cash from fares, and neither taxi nor driver is equipped with any form of personal protection.

Some taxis have limited protection from semi-bullet-proof glass between the driver's and passenger's compartment, but this is easily defeated. Most drivers will not use the air conditioner to save money on fuel, so they leave the driver's side window open. When the robber gets out, he walks over to the driver and places either a knife or a gun against the victim and demands the money.

Another method is to be picked up in a good section of the city and be taken as a fare to a secluded area where the taxi driver is then held up for his money. The robber will leave the vehicle on foot and flee the scene. The more violent robbers shoot and kill the taxi driver.

The method of armed robbery is amateurish and the choice of weapons of amateur robbers is slight, but the brutality and violence is great. The weapons of choice are those that are available. Saturday Night Specials or large razors and knives are often used.

Check Cashing Outlets

Check cashing outlets are found in low-income areas where people, for a variety of reasons, are unable to cash their checks at an ordinary bank. The amount of money in these places varies, but in certain periods, such as the beginning of the month when people receive their public assistance or Social Security check, a lot of cash is necessary to meet the demands. Patrons using these services pay a fee, usually a percentage of the value of the check or money order being cashed.

Check cashing outlets are generally well secured with strong bullet stops and pry-resistant glass partitions and walls. To gain entry into the teller station or vault, a series of steps must be taken. These security procedures are much like those taken by an astronaut returning from space. The criminal must go through a series of air locks, but, unlike those used by an astronaut, these security locks are designed to keep unauthorized persons from entering. They must pass through one door, which will be secured behind them, and after that door is secured, a visual check through a surveillance camera is made. Only authorized personnel will be let through the inside door.

These businesses are extremely difficult, but most profitable, to hold up. Because of the difficulties, successful robberies are aided by employee incompetency or inside assistance. The inside assistant will be to in some way defeat security devices, perhaps by leaving doors unlocked. The incompetency might be when an employee is hungry for his lunch, fails to follow security procedures, and instead of going from one secured location to another, he just leaves all doors open.

The method used to rob these stores involves first surveying the habits of the employees. Once this is done it may simply be a matter of standing by when the lunch boy makes his delivery.

Female Armed Robbers

Female armed robbers, both professional and amateur, are rare. The professional female armed robber is more likely to be part of a gang, and will handle inside surveillance or act as a distraction during the actual holdup.

Some distractions we know of are having a young child fall and cry uncontrollably, having loud arguments between a customer and a salesperson, pretending not to speak English, and intimidating employees. Other methods include undressing or even urinating on the floor. This last works extremely well in crowded businesses and banks, especially in suburban areas where people are more easily shocked. While these diversion tactics are going on, the other associates grab key personnel and force them to turn over the merchandise or money.

Women are particularly good at surveillance, because who is going to question an attractive shopper?

Terrorist groups attempting to raise their funds through armed robbery may also use women as part of their gang.

The amateur female armed robber is most often a prostitute who robs her john or who is a desperate substance abuser. The prostitute will have the john undress and get ready for the sex act. Once the john is undressed, the prostitute uses a knife or razor to rob him. His clothes are thrown out of a window or taken with her when she leaves, to slow the john if he plans to alert the authorities. All in all, the female armed robber is not as common as you might think from watching movies.

When a person attempts to gain entry into a building for the purpose of removing items from a safe, they will be faced with a number of obstacles. The more valuable the prize, the more precautions the owner will take in securing it. These precautions are designed to deter entry rather than secure the premises. Overcoming these obstacles separates the professional from the amateur. Any building, safe or property that has security measures, no matter how well designed, will not keep a motivated, well-trained individual from entering.

Surveillance

When the burglar chooses his target, he first conducts a survey of the premises, much like the armed robbers. This survey may be conducted by an insider or it will be done

Fences and Gales

High barbed-wire fences and gates are a common deterrent, and they can be diabolically constructed to foil the most ingenious thief. They may be doubled, that is, two fences set a certain distance apart. The barbed wire can be placed in a number of ways. Traditional barbed wire, which contains wire strands and, every few inches, a twist of sharpened wire, is used mainly at the top of the fencing in layers of three. If this layer is perpendicular to the fence itself, this is designed both to keep people in and to keep people out. If this layer is facing away from the property at a 45 degree angle, it is designed to stop people from climbing onto the property. If this barbed wire is angled toward the property at a 45 degree angle, it is designed to keep people in the property.

Fencing can be placed side by side. The first fence with the barbed-wire layering is either perpendicular or at a 45 degree angle facing in. The second fencing has its barbed-wire layer facing at a 45 degree angle toward the first fence. If the perpetrator gets through the first fence, he will be trapped between the first and the second fence. This is also known as a security pattern. Not only does this help to keep people out, but it will lock them in for easy apprehension.

If someone wants to ensure additional security for his property, he will use what is called razor wire, or ribbon wire. This is the wire that you see while watching the evening news: United Nations troops are standing at a checkpoint and on the ground you will see curly wire. This wire has a razor-sharp section. The theory behind this wire is that once you come in contact with it, it entangles you in such a way as to hold you in place. The more you struggle to free yourself, the more entangled you become. This wire will also cause severe injury. Razor wire is mainly used either on the ground, attached to the fence, or mounted on top of the fence and gate areas either perpendicular or at a 45 degree angle facing in toward or out away from the property.