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Categories: VT Headlines
VT Headlines: 3 ATMs stolen from Middlebury stores in recent weeks
Kind of like trying to figure out who killed the waiter at the annual butlers convention.
Maybe, reposition the security cameras on the remaining ATM’s. Isn’t this the banks responsibility?
Likely, these are non-bank ATM’s, supplied by private vendors, who receive passive income from getting a cut of the ATM use fees. This is a hazard of their use.
Thanks, Tyler. So the private company takes the loss?
I don’t know, but it would seem the machine owner would take the loss unless they are insured. And I have no idea what the premiums on machines full of cash are.
Given the ingenuity and sheer mechanical brawn that have been brought to bear to take them (I recall an impressive heist from a few years ago, which I will not re-broadcast here), I would bet insurance cost would be prohibitive.
I own and operate a private, non-bank ATM service. When the ATMs are hit the owners take the loss and I have lost several ATMs over the past few years-kind of ruins your whole day. I cannot insure the money that is lost and I don’t make an insurance claim because I don’t want to lose or pay more for insurance. I keep the insurance for other reasons including liability. I lost one in the Ferrisburgh thefts a few weeks ago when the thieves stole mine and one nearby.
Cameras have not solved any of the robberies. The thieves wear hoodies and steal vehicles or license plates to commit the crimes. Alarms don’t seem to work as the police are spread too thin to get to the location in time to do anything. I do suggest that the alarms be monitored by police or a private service though. For the ATMs there are GPS trackers but they are too expensive for many of our locations where the volume is too low to pay for that cost and still be financially viable. I have considered Air Tags and similar devices but they have to be monitored so you would know that the ATM is moving. It does not help to find the ATM with an Air Tag after it has been broken into, there is almost never anything of value to salvage and the ATMs are always found in a field, not at someone’s home. You also need to have the police available and willing to chase the vehicle with the ATM/Air Tag in it. Property crimes, at least ATM thefts don’t seem to be much of a priority these days.
One break-in took place at a tavern in a small NEK town. The thief was on video, roaming around inside for about 4 hours. He left after about 2 hours with a safe which had nothing in it. He then came back for another 2 hours and ended up leaving with another safe. He bent the metal door on the ATM but was unable to get into the ATM. He destroyed a jukebox to get the cashbox. The thief had a hoodie on but all of the locals and tavern staff knew exactly who the person was because of his body shape, the way he walked and because of the brands of liquor and cigarettes he took, but apparently that was not enough evidence so nothing happened to him.
Because a car pulled up when he was leaving I thought that he had probably called them on a cell phone twice to have them come to the bar. Because this was in the late night/early morning hours in a small NEK town I asked the investigating VSP Trooper if it might be possible to check cell phone calls that night to compare to the date stamped times on the video when the car came to pick him up. The Trooper, with great disdain, said “You people watch too much CSI” and that was the end of the conversation. I am about as pro-law enforcement as one can be but that one really stung.
I tell my location owners that regardless of how good their cameras are, they will not prevent the thefts or solve them. The only ways I know of that might stop or really slow down the thieves is an ear-splitting alarm both inside and out and I would also add very bright strobe lights. I would also suggest tear gas or pepper spray that would be activated when the alarm is sounded. I am also interested in any ideas others might have.
I doubt that these robberies are conducted by 1st time offenders so it might also be nice if our judicial system finally did their job and put these people in jail so that law abiding citizens can live their lives peacefully and not be at the mercy of these degenerates. In Lamoille County, a former States Attorney said that the majority of the crimes are committed by a group of about 50 people. If our courts would actually put the crooks in prison, it wouldn’t take that many to make have a big effect on crime.
A trap door over a shark tank sounds appropriate
Thanks for the information and am sorry you got hit.
A little background on the 3 protesters that were arrested at the ICE raid. Robert Langellier list his address as living in St Louis, Missouri, Joel Margulies lists his current address as Ballston Spa, New York and Dillon Tanner is from Atlanta Georgia. Not Vermonters.