Banks can reduce their chances of being held up by being extraordinarily polite to everyone that walks in, according to FBI Special Agent Larry Carr. He claims his method of "scaring the lights" out of would-be robbers with over-the-top courtesy is partially responsible for reducing bank robberies in Seattle by almost 50%.
The method is a sharp contrast to the traditional training for bank employees confronted with a suspicious person, which advises not approaching the person, and at most, activating an alarm or dropping an exploding dye pack into the cash.
When a man walked into a First Mutual branch last year wearing garden gloves and sunglasses, manager Scott Taffera greeted him heartily, invited him to remove the glasses, and guided him to an equally friendly teller. The man eventually asked for a roll of quarters and left.
