Pub. 2 2013 Issue 2

The procedures bank employees use to open the bank or branch can help discour- age and prevent these extremely danger- ous morning glory robberies. The first thing a bank can do to reduce exposure to this danger is to make certain the facility does not have places where a person can hide to attack employees while opening the bank. Bushes need to be well-trimmed. Objects that obstruct views need to be eliminated, if possible. Rounded mirrors can be installed to help view around unmovable obstructions or down stairwells. When arriving at the bank, the first employee should, if possible, drive com- pletely around the bank to look for any signs that someone may have broken in. She should also look for anyone lurking around the bank. This first employee should park close to the entry door, where she cannot be easily targeted between the time she leaves her car and the time she enters the bank. The first employees should be using the front entry or the entry that has the highest amount of traffic visibility. If necessary, the cars can be moved later after several other employees are in the bank. Before the first employee enters the bank, a second employee should arrive. A second employee should watch from a car at a distance as the first person enters the bank. This makes it difficult for a robber to control both employ- ees. A potential robber who scouts out the bank is likely to go elsewhere rather than try to control two people who are far apart. The first employee entering the bank needs to search for any sign of intruders. Alarm systems with motion detectors certainly help, but the first employee still needs to look around. After it is determined to be safe, an all-clear signal needs to be given. The all-clear signal can be turning on or off a particular light, opening a particular window shade, moving a particular sign. The signal should be subtle. A second danger signal should also be included in your training procedures. This allows the employee to take action to secretly signal there is danger. If there is a problem, the employee has the option of giving the danger signal or not giving the all-clear signal, or both, depending on the situation inside. If it were me, I would want to have the option of letting someone know it is unsafe rather than just have the employee outside wondering if I forgot to put up the all-clear signal. If the danger signal is given or the all-clear signal is not given, the employee waiting outside needs to know what procedures to follow to call for help. Once the all-clear signal is given, the first employee needs to be able to watch the second employee and allow him to enter only if he is alone and safe. If the situation appears unsafe, the employee inside can trigger alarms or call for help. No bank can prevent all robberies. Employees can reduce the likelihood of a robber gaining early morning access to the bank which reduces exposure to a particularly dangerous robbery situation. The longer a robber is in the bank, the more dangerous it becomes for the employees. The more inconvenient you make it for a potential robber to get into the bank, the more likely it is that the robber will give up, or find a different, easier victim. For more information, call KS Bankers Surety Co. at (785) 228-0000. 12 l e a d i n g a d v o c a t e f o r t h e b a n k i n g i n d u s t r y i n k a n s a s continued frompage 10 The more inconvenient you make it for a potential robber to get into the bank, the more likely it is that the robber will give up, or find a different, easier victim.