Banks hope low-tech measure will curb robberies

If a man walks into a bank with robbery on his mind, would he really obey a polite sign asking him to doff his hat and sunglasses?

Officials of several financial institutions in the Springfield, Mo., area, seeking to stem a rise in robberies, figure it's worth a try. The goal is to get customers -- and the criminal-minded who might be moving among them -- to remove items that hide their faces.

Twenty-six banks and credit unions with 141 locations in the Ozarks have joined the sign-posting initiative, which was announced Wednesday by the Springfield Police Deportment and modeled on a Massachusetts program adopted in June.

Managers of still other banks are considering it in light of the 14 robberies so far this year in the Springfield area, about double the annual average.

"I think it would make all tellers feel safer," said Jeannie Ewing, a branch manager of a Telcomm Credit Union branch, who says an unfamiliar face can make her wary these days.

Springfield's program grew out of a July meeting between officials of Metropolitan National Bank, which had been robbed, and FBI Special Agent Dave Burlew.

Burlew suggested asking customers to remove items that obscure their faces, including hoods and hats. It could make some robbers think twice and could give authorities a full view of a robber's face from security images, he said.

More ideas were discussed when several bank presidents met later with police chief Lynn Rowe, Greene County Sheriff Jack Merritt and officials with the FBI. One possibility was borrowing another Massachusetts idea -- a Web site showing photos of bank robbers.

But the hats-off-please signs were the quickest, "low-tech" measure, said James Holstein, president and chief executive officer of Old Missouri National Bank.

"I think it's a simple request," he said. "Customers will complain. But serious complaints? No. When they realize we are doing it for their safety as much as our safety, I think they will cooperate."

Robberies in Cape

The two most recent robberies in Cape Girardeau involved suspects who were trying to obstruct the view of their face. In the Capaha Bank robbery of a month ago, the suspect was wearing a ballcap and sunglasses. In 2000, a suspect who robbed Bank of America was wearing a bandanna over his face and a cap.

No arrests have been made in either of those cases, police said Thursday.

In Massachusetts, the hats-off program is among several security steps -- only a few of which have been made public -- that were recommended by a task force of bankers and law enforcement.

About 20 banks now ask customers to remove hats and sunglasses, and they have received a positive response, said Bruce Spitzer, communication director for the Massachusetts Bankers Association. The U.S. Justice Department has endorsed the initiative, and other states have asked about it, he said.

The signs will find skeptics in Springfield.

"I think they're looking at security from the wrong angle," said Glenn Burk, 36, wearing a red and white Cardinals baseball cap.