NCJ Number
76346
Date Published
1981
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Intended for both law enforcement officers and personnel in financial institutions, this film outlines practical police tactics for responding to any silent alarm call and suggests procedures that employees of financial institutions can use to minimize risks from armed robbers.
Abstract
Actual black and white surveillance photographs, chosen from those taken during real robberies or taken by news photographers, provide the basis for one of the film's most important points: under pressure of an actual holdup, people will react as they have been trained. The black and white photographs emphasize a number of errors and outcomes which have been made in the absence of training and preplanning. Other photographs point out the social dynamics and behavior of the offenders during holdups. In addition, the film shows tested methods for dealing with robbers inside a targeted institution, safely transmitting a call for help, deploying law enforcement personnel outside a financial institution, verifying the status of an alarm call, effectively concluding either a false alarm or a bona fide incident, and preserving evidence for preliminary investigation. The film emphasizes the importance of safe police tactics, such as invisible deployment to prevent robbers inside the institution from seeing the police. This approach uses emergency lights but no siren, officers positioned to avoid crossfire from an offender, and the coordination of silent alarm response tactics between officers and financial institution personnel. An instructor's manual is included. (Author abstract modified)