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Making Safer Bank Deposits
By Curtis Baillie, CSC


This article appears in the publication Retail Crime, Security, and Loss Prevention: An Encylopedic Reference by Charles Sennewald, CPP, CMC, CSC and John Christman, CPP. (Butterworth-Heinenann, 2008) Curtis Baillie, CSC is a Contributing Author.

My first experience in making bank deposits was working part time for the security department of an amusement park. Every day, except Sundays, we would drive the cash receipts, at times totaling several million dollars, to the bank and return with the change order. Making the deposits rested with the security department, and was a major event. We were escorted to the bank by no less than eight municipal police officers in four marked cars, and all officers were armed with either shotguns or automatic weapons. Why the amusement park never used an armored service was beyond me.

Making bank deposits in the retail environment can be a stressful event. Many companies choose to have their management teams make them. This decision is usually made as a cost saving factor, as armored car services are expensive. The newspapers are full of crime stories where employees have been robbed, injured, or killed while making bank deposits. Employees even stage fake robberies at deposit boxes to cover up an employee theft.

One such incident occurred when a management employee making a bank deposit on a Sunday morning reported being stabbed, with a knife, in the back by a robber who took the bank bag containing thousands of dollars. Several things were wrong with this "robbery" as he had a relative drive him to the bank, parking on the opposite corner and out of site of the drop box. It just didn’t sound right. There was even a "witness" standing across the street who observed the entire robbery. As it turned out, he staged the robbery, having his witness friend, a local well-known criminal, stab him in the back with a knife. This is a pretty extreme example, but it shows just what lengths people will go.

Some Suggestions

If a company chooses to make their own bank deposits there should always be two employees making the deposit. Deposits should be made during the daytime, as it is safer to do so. If deposits must be made during the nighttime hours, after closing, the following safety suggestions must be considered:

Always, drive your deposit to the bank even if your bank is close by in the same shopping center. Always have two people making the deposit.

One person should exit the store with the second person remaining inside with the doors locked.
 
Drive around the parking lot checking for suspicious cars or people. The person conducting the parking lot check should have a cell phone. If you see anything suspicious, drive to a safe location, and call the police department.

If all is clear, drive to the main entrance of the store; shine the headlights on the door. The other employee, with the cash, should now exit and immediately enter the vehicle. This is not the time to have a casual smoke before going to the bank.
 
Proceed directly to the bank. Drive around the bank, again looking for anything suspicious. If all is clear, proceed to the drop box. If anything looks suspicious - drive to a safe location and call the police.

Quickly make the deposit and leave the bank. Remember, use caution when making bank deposits don't let the task become a casual event.

Don't become a victim!

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Readers desiring additional information on these or related subjects should contact a qualified professional security consultant and/or their attorney. This article is written for general information purposes only and is not intended to be, and should not be used as, a primary source for making security decisions. The author is not an attorney, is not engaged in the practice of law, and is not rendering legal advice.  The author of this article shall have no liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss, liability, or damage alleged to have been caused by the use or application of any information in this article, nor information contained on this or any linked or related web site.