LOS ANGELES, April 18 (UPI) -- Tough times appear to be prompting more bank heists in Los Angeles County, but they're still well below record 1990s record levels, the FBI says.
Bank robberies in Los Angeles County totaled 171 in 2008. That was the first increase since 2000, but still far below the 2,600 heists perpetrated in 1992, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
Special Agent Steve May, in charge of the bank robbery detail for the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said he expects that the poor economy will likely produce about 425 bank robberies this year. Yet despite concerns about the rise, the increase is likely to be short-lived.
He told the Times bank robbery totals will remain relatively low in part because of big improvements in surveillance technology and banks' ability to immediately distribute video and images to law enforcement and the media. In the past, it wouldn't be uncommon for police to take a month to process surveillance images.
"The reality is after a month or two they get caught, and once that happens, the number dies out," May told the newspaper. "The more eyes on a photo, the better it is for us."
