FLORENCE — It's like having a police officer in the bank at all times. Or, it's like having the bank in the police station.

        That is how one bank official recently robbed at gunpoint described technology being pioneered here that pipes video from security cameras directly into the center that dispatches police for Boone County.

Florence Police Chief Thomas Kathman (foreground) came up with the idea for the monitoring system, which relays real-time video from participating banks to the Boone County police dispatch center. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        The hope is that in a year, banks throughout the area will install the equipment, being developed in West Chester. The dispatch center for Northern Kentucky's largest city, Covington, hopes to have the equipment installed by March.

        The move is one step law enforcement agencies are taking after a record number of bank heists in the Tristate last year.
       

Robbery hits close to home

        The idea came from Florence Police Chief Thomas Kathman. His wife, who worked in the financial industry for three decades, was in a bank several years ago when robbers stormed in and fired two shots in the ceiling. No one was injured.

        Chief Kathman asked Photo Digital Systems of Carpentersville, Ill., to create the new security system. The company develops law enforcement applications that use digital imagery, including such innovations as digital mug shots. The 2-year-old privately owned company's development branch is based in West Chester.

        Patty Foley, the branch manager for Columbia Federal Savings Bank on Dixie Highway in Florence, the only bank currently hooked up to the system, said it helped reassure nervous employees after the bank was robbed twice in the last 12 months.

        “It's like the police are here, to us,” said Ms. Foley. “Anything that makes you feel safer is a good thing.”

        The Northern Kentucky bank has five branches.
       

Getting better pictures

        Independent banks with fewer locations have expressed the most interest in the system, said Phil Braukman, director of development for Photo Digital Systems.

        Lt. Jack Banks, commander of Boone County Criminal Investigations, said police agencies have been trying to get banks to improve surveillance for as long as he can remember. He said some financial institutions have good systems, while others have a bare minimum.

        “You have a varying degree of resolution of images from banks,” said Lt. Banks. “Some help in preparing an investigation. Some are worthless. Because this new technology is digitally based, you will not only have a better-quality image, but you will have the opportunity to digitally enhance it.”

        The new system developed in Florence hooks up to existing security cameras, Mr. Braukman said. The images captured are then transmitted via phone lines to a monitoring site. In the case of banks, pictures from the cameras are automatically displayed on a television monitor when the silent alarm is activated.

        Mr. Braukman is providing the system for free to dispatch centers who have compatible equipment. He said the only cost to dispatch centers is providing a phone line.

        Businesses cover most of the cost for the system. Depending on their video equipment, there is a one-time installation fee and a $80 per month lease fee.

        There are several advantages to the system.

        “We initially saw it as more of a safety feature for employees and police officers,” Mr. Braukman said.

        He said police don't want to arrive at a bank while the robber is still inside. That could lead to a hostage situation.

        Chief Kathman said the system provides police with an accurate description of the robber. He said bank tellers are often too traumatized to give a good description.

        When Florence police install recently purchased laptop computers in their cruisers, images from the system, including pictures of the suspect, can be relayed right to the squad car.
       

Robberies on rise

        The recent holdup of the only bank in the Tristate with the new system is a good example of its drawbacks — demonstrating that the kinks still need to be worked out, said Chief Kathman.

        The Florence branch of Columbia Federal Savings Bank was held up in October. During that incident, tellers didn't activate the silent alarm until after the robber had left the bank. That left police with images of the bank interior but none of the robber.

        “I can't tell a teller to hit the button when they have a gun pointed at them,” said Chief Kathman. “I'm not here to change bank policy.”

        The chance for violence during bank robberies is high, he said.

        There were 6,988 robberies at financial institutions across the nation in 1999, according to Chief Kathman. A gun was fired in 115 of those robberies and a bomb went off twice.

        The robberies led to 27 deaths and 209 assaults. One hundred people were taken hostage.

        “The point is this video thing will add protection to employees, customers,” Chief Kathman said.

        In the Tristate, the number of bank robberies about doubled last year. There were more than 45 bank robberies in Hamilton County alone. Exact figures were not available from the FBI on Friday.
       

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