In a robbery, remember, “this isn’t television”

LANSING — The credit union’s security cameras captured the whole thing.

The hoodie-wearing robber walks in the door, steps up to the teller, and points a handgun at her. 

The teller opens her cash drawer and passes the money to the robber. He sets the gun down and adjusts the cash, picks up the gun, and moves to the next teller. She cooperates as well.

Then the robber turns and walks out. As he leaves, another person is entering the branch and steps back as if in surprise.

In just under a minute, the Jan. 17 armed robbery of the Cornell Federal Credit Union branch in Lansing was over and the robber gone.

“It was very impressive,” says Tompkins County Sheriff Kenneth Lansing, speaking of the way the tellers and others in the credit union handled themselves. Lansing says they did what they were supposed to do: “To the best of your ability, cooperate and be as calm as possible.”

“You can’t get macho; this isn’t television,” he adds.

American Bankers Association executive VP James Chessen agrees. “The primary concern is the safety of the customers and the bank employees,” he says. 

Chessen explains that frontline bank employees are trained in procedures for robberies. Every new employee gets trained and refresher training takes place periodically. In an area where robberies have been reported, training may occur more frequently, he adds.

Heather Wyson, ABA’s VP of payments and cybersecurity, says banks cooperate on improving security. “We don’t see security as a competitive issue. Members share lessons learned,” she says. “In addition to lessons learned, our members often share recommended practices and help to develop training resources for others to use.” 

One way they share is through the ABA Bank Capture program. It allows banks to swap information about robberies and frauds that are targeting banks.

Chessen says such sharing is one factor that has led to a steep decline in the number of bank robberies. FBI statistics show that in 2003 7,465 bank robberies occurred in the U.S. In 2016, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the U.S. experienced 4,251 robberies, according to the FBI. That’s a 43 percent decline in 13 years.

Another factor may be that would-be robbers have noticed that banks aren’t so easy to rob and the proceeds are usually not that great, “usually less than a couple thousand dollars,” Chessen says.

There is also a high probability of getting caught, he says. Government regulations dating to the 1960s require security procedures be in place, including things like cameras of the type that recorded the Lansing robbery.

Law enforcement takes bank robbery very seriously. It’s been a federal crime since 1934 and the FBI, along with Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department, Ithaca Police, Cornell University Police Department, New York State Police and the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office worked the Lansing robbery.

That resulted in the arrest, just 9 days after the robbery, of 32-year-old Chaio Slater, of Ithaca. He was charged with the Lansing robbery and a December robbery at the Tompkins County Trust Company branch in Ithaca.

While Slater’s case will be handled by the criminal-justice system, the sheriff says that the tellers who followed their training may need counseling or other help. “There are things we never forget,” he says. 

Chessen adds that the need for help after a robbery varies greatly. “You don’t know how traumatic it was for a person.”

Expressing his admiration for how the tellers maintained their calm throughout the robbery, observing what they could and following their training, Lansing says, “I’ve had guns stuck in my face and it’s easier said than done.”         

LANSING — The credit union’s security cameras captured the whole thing.

The hoodie-wearing robber walks in the door, steps up to the teller, and points a handgun at her. 

The teller opens her cash drawer and passes the money to the robber. He sets the gun down and adjusts the cash, picks up the gun, and moves to the next teller. She cooperates as well.

Then the robber turns and walks out. As he leaves, another person is entering the branch and steps back as if in surprise.

In just under a minute, the Jan. 17 armed robbery of the Cornell Federal Credit Union branch in Lansing was over and the robber gone.

“It was very impressive,” says Tompkins County Sheriff Kenneth Lansing, speaking of the way the tellers and others in the credit union handled themselves. Lansing says they did what they were supposed to do: “To the best of your ability, cooperate and be as calm as possible.”

“You can’t get macho; this isn’t television,” he adds.

American Bankers Association executive VP James Chessen agrees. “The primary concern is the safety of the customers and the bank employees,” he says. 

Chessen explains that frontline bank employees are trained in procedures for robberies. Every new employee gets trained and refresher training takes place periodically. In an area where robberies have been reported, training may occur more frequently, he adds.

Heather Wyson, ABA’s VP of payments and cybersecurity, says banks cooperate on improving security. “We don’t see security as a competitive issue. Members share lessons learned,” she says. “In addition to lessons learned, our members often share recommended practices and help to develop training resources for others to use.” 

One way they share is through the ABA Bank Capture program. It allows banks to swap information about robberies and frauds that are targeting banks.

Chessen says such sharing is one factor that has led to a steep decline in the number of bank robberies. FBI statistics show that in 2003 7,465 bank robberies occurred in the U.S. In 2016, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the U.S. experienced 4,251 robberies, according to the FBI. That’s a 43 percent decline in 13 years.

Another factor may be that would-be robbers have noticed that banks aren’t so easy to rob and the proceeds are usually not that great, “usually less than a couple thousand dollars,” Chessen says.

There is also a high probability of getting caught, he says. Government regulations dating to the 1960s require security procedures be in place, including things like cameras of the type that recorded the Lansing robbery.

Law enforcement takes bank robbery very seriously. It’s been a federal crime since 1934 and the FBI, along with Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department, Ithaca Police, Cornell University Police Department, New York State Police and the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office worked the Lansing robbery.

That resulted in the arrest, just 9 days after the robbery, of 32-year-old Chaio Slater, of Ithaca. He was charged with the Lansing robbery and a December robbery at the Tompkins County Trust Company branch in Ithaca.

While Slater’s case will be handled by the criminal-justice system, the sheriff says that the tellers who followed their training may need counseling or other help. “There are things we never forget,” he says. 

Chessen adds that the need for help after a robbery varies greatly. “You don’t know how traumatic it was for a person.”

Expressing his admiration for how the tellers maintained their calm throughout the robbery, observing what they could and following their training, Lansing says, “I’ve had guns stuck in my face and it’s easier said than done.”