The latest statistics from the FBI show Colorado has a rate of bank robberies well above other states on a per capita basis for the second year in a row.
Of 1,612 known robberies across the country in 2022 — the latest year available in statistics recently released — 155 were in Colorado , close to 10% of the nation’s bank robberies. There were also 13 bank burglaries here among the nation’s 124.
“It’s a real expense yeah. It is. It’s an obligation of protecting our customers, protecting our employees,” said Jenifer Waller, president of the Colorado Bankers Association.
Banks have made security improvements over the years to prevent robberies.
“As robbers have progressed in their methods that they use to commit robberies, banks have also progressed on what they do; to prevent a robbery and also to find a perpetrator after the fact,” said Waller.
Some preventative methods, like locked doors requiring a request for entry, took hold during the pandemic and have stayed in place.