By Greg Bartlett

Bank robberies, unfortunately, occur regularly, and each year millions of dollars are stolen from financial institutions. For instance, in 2007, approximately 6,000 bank robberies occurred, totaling around $73 million stolen. In 2006, just under 7,000 bank robberies netted over $72 million. Sometimes police are able to recover the stolen money, checks, and other items. In 2007, approximately $18 million was recovered, and around $11 million in 2006.

One method banks are using to help recover stolen money is with a GPS device. When a robber demands money, employees can sometimes include a GPS tracking device with the money, allowing police to follow the robber and capture him or her within a short amount of time.

For instance, in Washington State one robber demanded $40,000, and the bank employee gave him that as well as a small GPS tracking device which she put into his bag with the money. Police were able to track down the robber within minutes and capture him without incident.

Just recently in California, a teen discovered the foolishness of robbing banks when he demanded money and got it – as well as a GPS device. Police apprehended him in his car within about an hour, even though no one had seen his getaway vehicle to describe it to police. The GPS tracking device led them right to him.

Late last year, a robber walked into a bank 10 days after being released from prison for his previous five bank robbery charges. He threatened the tellers, demanded money, and fled with $12,000. But he also unknowingly had a GPS tracking device with the money, so police were able to quickly locate him. After a high-speed pursuit, the robber jumped out of his car and ran off into the woods, unaware that he was still carrying the GPS device with the money. He was caught and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Protecting financial institutions and customers from bank robberies is easier with GPS devices. Employees can hand over a tracking device with the money, allowing police to locate and apprehend robbers quickly, recovering the money so that neither the bank nor the customers will suffer.

Customers can now have more trust in their banks, knowing that if a robbery does occur, as long as the bank puts GPS devices with the stolen money, police should be able to find the robber and the money quickly. A GPS device is all it takes to help reduce bank robberies and recover stolen money.