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NYPD Tells Banks to Beef Up Security
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 15, 2009
Modified Jan 15, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 15, 2009
Modified Jan 15, 2009
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With the city in the midst of a bank robbery renaissance, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly yesterday implored bank officials to increase security. According to Newsday, bank robberies were up 57 percent in NYC last year, to 444 from 283 in 2007. More branches like TD Bank (formerly Commerce) have adopted "friendly," open interior designs in recent years, and Kelly says that's part of the problem; he wants banks to go back to using bullet-resistant glass, or "bandit barriers." Some police officials believe another factor in the crime wave to be the cratering economy, which may be contributing to a rise in bank robberies nationwide—the number of bank jobs rose 6.4 percent in the first six months of 2008. But Gotham clearly deserves a better class of criminal.
Tagged
bank
nypd
Ray Kelly
robbery
security
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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