Aug 25 2009 20 mins 1
For years, this is how banking institutions have responded to robberies - with an attitude of compliance.
But in Seattle, the local division of the FBI has turned this attitude on its heels with SafeCatch, a program designed to train bank employees to spot and deter potential robberies before they even occur.
In an exclusive interview about SafeCatch, FBI Special Agent Larry Carr discusses:
Carr is the bank robbery coordinator within the FBI's Seattle office. He is credited with creating the SafeCatch program.
Since 2006, Carr has provided SafeCatch training to some 40 Washington State financial institutions -- roughly 400 bank branches and 3,000 employees. Last year, Seattle saw a 51 percent decrease in the number of bank robberies from its 1996-2006 average of approximately 300 robberies annually.
