In the days of the John Dillinger gang, criminals robbed banks with Tommy guns. In the 1990s, they prefer pen and paper.
The latest note-carrying bandit has robbed a dozen banks in downtown Baltimore, handing tellers a succinct written message: "I have a gun. Money now. Or else." He doesn't stay long, getting anywhere from $500 to $1,500 -- and then losing all or most of it when a dye pack explodes in his face.
Holdup men with threatening notes are slowly changing the image of bank robbers from slick, gun-toting gangsters to petty-theft artists whose only limitation on pulling a heist is their ability to spell.
Not that the fear of the bank robber has diminished. The dangerous, gang-style robbers packing pistols and shotguns are still on the streets. Some have used violent tactics and hauled as much as $200,000 in a single Maryland bank robbery.
But about 50 percent of the state's record-setting number of bank robberies have been committed by men with notes and no visible weapon, according to the FBI. And a review of court records shows that most holdups net the bandits no more than $2,000 -- and often much less.
The FBI, which investigates all bank holdups, reacted with little alarm last week when Baltimore broke its record for bank robberies in a single year. Yesterday, the figure stood at 103 -- the old record of 96 was set in 1980.
"In downtown Baltimore, your typical robber passes a teller a note, gets a small amount, then disappears into the crowd," said FBI spokesman Andy Manning. "If they can't rob a bank with a note, they're not going to do a robbery. They're not going to put themselves in jeopardy."
Bank employees are instructed by their supervisors and the FBI not to resist robbers and hand over some cash when demanded. It's a policy designed to protect bank employees, in particular the tellers, who have to deal with the robbers face to face.
While the "give-them-the-money, no-questions-asked" policy is supported by fearful employees, just about everyone agrees that the cat has gotten out of the bag.
"The robbers know we're going to give them some money. That's why we're setting records," said a teller at a downtown bank, who asked that her name not be used out of concern of losing her job.
"I've been robbed at my window twice. Both times the guy gave me a note scribbled on a deposit slip. One time, I gave the guy $500 and the other about $1,200," she said. "I never saw a gun in either case, but I was still scared."
