SafeCatch
Encyclopedia
SafeCatch is a counter-criminal strategy invented by the FBI, to be adopted by bank teller
s in the event of a robbery
. The method focuses attention in the guise of good customer service
and allows bank tellers to rattle robbers, who generally try to remain anonymous
and may not be expecting an overwhelmingly positive reaction to their robbery attempt, thereby possibly deterring them from going further with their plan.
SafeCatch was developed by the Seattle FBI office, and has been implemented in the Seattle banking system, with staff trained in 23 banks.
The “Safe” in SafeCatch is an acronym, denoting Scan (for suspicious persons) Alert (relevant personnel and help) Friendly, neutral confrontation Escape (by the perpetrator shouldn't be the end of the situation).
Bank teller
A teller is an employee of a bank who deals directly with most customers. In some places, this employee is known as a cashier. Most teller jobs require cash handling experience and a high school diploma. Most banks provide on the job training....
s in the event of a robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
. The method focuses attention in the guise of good customer service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
and allows bank tellers to rattle robbers, who generally try to remain anonymous
Anonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
and may not be expecting an overwhelmingly positive reaction to their robbery attempt, thereby possibly deterring them from going further with their plan.
SafeCatch was developed by the Seattle FBI office, and has been implemented in the Seattle banking system, with staff trained in 23 banks.
Efficacy
While the efficacy of the program is challenging to quantify over the short term, the FBI and area banks note that, in the first quarter of 2007, Seattle bank robberies were down to 40, from a 10 year average of 80, and in the month of April, 2007, bank robberies were down by 70%.The “Safe” in SafeCatch is an acronym, denoting Scan (for suspicious persons) Alert (relevant personnel and help) Friendly, neutral confrontation Escape (by the perpetrator shouldn't be the end of the situation).
External links
- Killing Bank Robberies with Kindness, National Public Radio audio article
- Security with a smile, Credit Union Management magazine, Dec 2007, by Carter, Jaime
- FBI News Release, 25 June 2007
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18075473/How to scare bank robbers? Try smiling, Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
article, 11:23 a.m. ET April 12, 2007]