News

Another bank robbery hits Madison

The Madison Police Department was called to the scene of yet another bank robbery Wednesday, tying 2001's record total of 19 with still more than three months left in the year.

According to an MPD press release, the suspect entered the Home Savings Bank located at 2 South Carroll Street on the Capitol Square at 3:09 p.m. The suspect, a black male in his mid 50s or early 60s wearing a dark jacket and dark pants, told tellers he had a weapon when he entered the bank.

No weapon was spotted, and the man fled the scene toward West Washington Avenue on foot. No one was injured during the attack.

When the suspect escaped, he possessed an undisclosed amount of cash. According to MPD officer Laura Walker, officials rarely disclose the amount of money taken in bank robberies.

Sgt. Sue Armagost of the MPD said police do not disclose any information, such as the amount of money stolen, in an investigatory situation.

"You don't want to play your hand out in the public arena," she said. "We need that information for court and for contacting suspects and witnesses."

Armagost also said it is not good policy for any police department to publicize how much money can be stolen from a bank, especially in larger robberies.

Though it may seem banks do not take enough action to prevent robberies, Armagost said patron safety is most important. If robbers claim to have a weapon, tellers are instructed to cooperate.

"We never really know if someone has a weapon or not when they come in," she added. "But we want to keep everyone safe."

With two bank robberies in the past two days, suspicions are on the rise, but Walker said police do not think the two events are related in any way.

Armagost agreed the crimes are probably not linked, simply because of the nature of most bank-robbery motivations.

"Honestly, more often than not, all property crimes are usually tied to drug trade and drug trafficking," she said. "People get more desperate for funds, and that's what they turn to."

Though it seems difficult, Armagost said tracking down a bank robber could be easier than tracking down suspects for other types of crimes. Money is coded to track the bank where it came from, and most banks have high-tech security cameras to monitor activity, she added.

"For banks, a lot of times we have more physical evidence because they have very good surveillance systems," she said. "We pour a large amount of money into tracking and finding robbery suspects."