So I'm at the bank last week and someone tried to rob it

[Ninj500]

Last week I went to my bank to get a cashier's check so I could close on a rental property later in the day. Half way through my transaction a teller from the other end of the counter comes running by, almost in tears, and informs the manager someone just tried to rob the bank. No kidding. Now I'm standing there figuring my closing will be postponed because they'll keep me at the bank until the police arrive to get a statement. Wrong. The teller helping me hands me everything and says "Have a nice day." So, out the door I went, right when a squad car comes flying up with lights flashing. Out jumps the cop who runs right past me into the bank. If I was being polite I could have held the door for him. All this time I'm expecting someone to grab me and hold me there as a witness. The way I see it though, I have a closing to get to so I kept right on walking. The local news ran a quick story and the video camera got an excellent shot of the guy. On my next trip into the bank the manager came out and pulled me aside. He said they had to give my information to the police who would most likely contact me.

What concerns me is the robbery took place less than 10 feet from me and I didn't notice a thing. Going to that bank became such a "routine" that I let my guard down. It didn't dawn on me until after everything happened that I was the only customer in the bank. Thank God the robber didn't, as far as anyone knows, have a gun or plan on doing harm to everyone. Just goes to show you that there is never a "routine" trip anywhere.

 

[ACP]

For cryin' out loud, a trip to a bank is NEVER routine for any CCW holder. Banks, ATM's, convenience stores, and downtown driving rank right up there as most dangerous spots. And not every bank robbery is a "guns drawn" affair. A lot of them are simple notes. But the "guns drawn' robberies -- those are some dangerous dudes.

 

[Ninj500]

"For cryin' out loud, a trip to a bank is NEVER routine"

Exactly. I make so many trips I allowed it to become routine and that shouldn't happen. Never, ever, ever, whether you have a CCW permit or not.

 

[VaughnT]

Actually, I don't see that you did anything wrong. You cannot make a mental note of every single person you encounter just so you can give a detailed report should they commit a crime. Your guard wasn't down because there wasn't anything to alert you to trouble.

99% of all robberies are simple notes passed to the tellers. If the perp wanted trouble, he would have come in guns blazing.

My training has dictated that all you should do in a "weapons hot" robbery is lie low. You don't know if there's a 'wing man' in the bank to knock off a hero, and you can't know for sure if you can clear leather and drop the obvious target before you are nailed by his weapon. It's a lose/lose situation and weapons only come in to play when death to yourself or another innocent is a sure bet.

That's the hardest part of the whole game.

Can't see where you went wrong as the guy next to you didn't show any signs of being more than your average joe going about his business.