Robbery Patterns

From the book:

Robbery serial patterns are more easily identified than most crime patterns. A robbery has a witness who can provide information on the offender(s) description, approach, and characteristics, as well as vehicle description (sometimes), the weapon(s) used, exact time and place, and the property was taken. Thus, commonalities are easier to find for crime pattern identification.

Robberies were my favorite crime to analyze when I worked as a crime analyst (1997-2007) because they were easiest to recognize and early identification was important because of threat of injury or death to victims. Shortly after I left that job, I wrote blog posts on another, inactive blog, with examples of various types of crime patterns. Here are the robbery patterns from back then, when they were fresh on my mind:  

Pattern: Purse Snatching (Robbery)

Perpetrators: mostly males but sometimes females, often lone criminals but also work in groups

Victims: primarily females of any age

Locations: primarily streets, sometimes in other public places 

Times: any time, most often when victim is alone without other observers nearby

Approach Methods: may come from behind, may use weapon, may knock victim to ground

Weapons: may use a weapon or threat of weapon, may assault victim

Tools: may cut purse straps

Vehicles/Transportation Routes: may target victims waiting at bus stops, train stations, on routes to bank or shopping

Stolen Goods: purse, contents of wallet, cash, credit cards

Method: a crime of opportunity, serial purse snatchers may use same MO

Motive: quick cash/profit, sometimes to feed drug habit

Query Terms: purse, bag, knapsack, handbag, strap

Suggestions: Track all incidents of purse snatching robberies as these tend to be serial crimes. Track all persons arrested for these crimes in case a series emerges where they are the perpetrators. Note larceny/theft of an unattended purse is not considered a robbery.

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Pattern: Carjacking

Perpetrators: suspects in need of quick transportation, suspects who want a vehicle to take to be stripped, suspects who are in gangs, may be organized crime group stealing high end vehicles to export overseas

Victims: may be innocent persons, sometimes related to drug buying/dealing - victims who trade cars for a few hours to a drug dealer and call it a carjacking when they report the loss of their vehicle

Locations: more likely in large urban areas, near drug houses, at intersections when a vehicle is stopped, at gas stations, in parking lots 

Times: various times of day

Entry/Approach Methods: may bump car with another car to initiate opportunity, may be hiding and attack victim

Weapons: often occur at gunpoint or threat of gun not displayed

Vehicles/Transportation Routes: may use vehicle in crime and discard it in their own neighborhood

Stolen Goods: vehicle, sometimes rob victim of wallet/purse/belongings

Method: a carjacking involves robbery of a vehicle while people are in the vehicle and is often a violent crime, sometimes victims are kidnapped as well, in rarer instances crime may lead to sexual assault or murder

Motive: to obtain a vehicle, also may be a need for power, or a need to escape a scene or obtain a vehicle to use in a crime/to commit a crime

Query terms: vehicle, car, robbery, carjacked, carjacking, stopped at light (or sign), fled in victim's vehicle (or car)

Suggestions: It is important to track all carjackings in your area to uncover any sort of patterns; query your databases for stolen cars AND robbery to find all incidents of carjacking; track all known carjackers in your jurisdiction.

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Pattern: Bank Robberies

Perpetrators: variety of perps, from inexperienced (usually drug addicts) to professional (less common), may work alone or in teams

Victims: financial institutions, banks and credit unions

Locations: inside bank – ATM (automatic teller) crime may be involved as well

Times: varies, but serial robbers often follow a pattern in time of day, day of week

Entry/Approach Methods: perps may stake out banks, target banks with easy escape routes, generally robbers just walk into bank

Weapons: often use note with threat of weapon and no weapon is seen, sometimes gun is seen

Vehicles/Transportation Routes: vary, banks in strip malls and/or near highways may be targeted as more vulnerable, may have get-away car accomplice

Stolen Goods: cash – often with dye-pack

Method: suspect may ‘case’ bank undetected prior to robbery, may wear disguise, may bring bag for cash – type of bag may be similar in series so is something to track, may jump over counter, may force victims to the ground, may target same type bank branches, tends toward becoming a serial crime if suspect has success, may be multiple suspects

Motive: cash

Query terms: bank, credit union, safe, unlock, alarm, vault, safety deposit, deposit, names of banks

Suggestions: Map all banks in your jurisdiction, including credit unions. If possible, get data on ATMs, track all known bank robbers on parole in your jurisdiction – know their MO. Familiarize yourself with bank robbery prevention techniques.

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Pattern: Cab/Taxi /Ride Share Driver Victims

Perpetrators: usually lone males, sometimes two or more males

Victims: cab/taxi/rideshare drivers

Locations: usually in a city

Times: late at night, infrequently in daytime

Entry/Approach Methods: when fare is dropped off, victim is robbed by the fare – sometimes robbery occurs during the ride

Weapons: more often gunpoint, sometimes knifepoint

Vehicles/Transportation Routes: suspects will more often be let out of cab at an intersection rather than a particular address

Stolen Goods: cash, sometimes wallet

Method: robbery occurs during normal course of cab ride – suspect calls cab or hails cab or orders ride share and then robs victim, suspect may wear a disguise, sometimes violent 

Motive: crime of opportunity, sometimes becomes a series of crime

Query terms: cab, taxi, fare, driver, meter, Uber, Lyft, rides hare, backseat

Suggestions: Track all robberies of this type in one file to note a series of crimes early. Analyze by company, by time of day, by geography, by weapon, by suspect(s) description, by victimology (old driver? young? race?). Track where rides begin and where they end. 

"Suspects wanted in at least 24 rideshare robberies" - click to see video