News

After ATM-user shooting, a call for better cameras

July 19, 2012

The hunt for a criminal who robbed and shot an ATM user in Central Florida has prompted a call for improved surveillance cameras at ATM terminals.

An editorial in Florida's Sun Sentinal said that CCTV stills from the (fortunately nonfatal) shooting were of such poor quality that they were useless to law enforcement.

"[The bank] may as well have handed Orlando police a stick-figure sketch, which might have been almost as useful in assisting police and the public [to] sweep a murderous thug off the streets," the editorial said.

The editorial said that though the federal Bank Protection Act of 1968 was intended to safeguard the public and from robberies, burglaries and larcenies, ATMs were so rare at the time that the law did not outline protocols for protecting ATM patrons.

But given the EFT Association estimate of a total of 60,000 ATM robberies annually, the editorial said, "[B]anks should take the initiative to protect their customers by arming all ATMs with cameras that produce clear, sharp images, providing clear value to law enforcement officials."

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