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http://amren.com/news/news04/06/17/banksecurity.html
Rigid Bank Security Decried
Courtney K. Wade, Chicago Tribune, Jun. 16
For Karen Buford, making a deposit at the newly opened Bank One branch in Chatham is a demeaning experience.
First, she goes through a glass door with a sign warning against guns and cautioning customers to pass one at a time. She waits impatiently, locked in the narrow confines of a metal detector. A red light means access denied, and a customer service agent's voice fills the space, apologizing for the inconvenience and telling her to remove all dense met
l objects from her person, purse or pockets. A green light means she may enter through the second glass door.
The extreme security measures at the South Side bank, installed when the bank opened, dre
w a protest Tuesday from the community, which sees them as b
latant signs of the bank's distrust for Chatham, an established middle-class minority neighborhood. Bank officials say the precautions are necessary in high crime areas.
But you've got crime everywhere, said Buford, who has to make weekly deposits at the branch for the small company she works for.
She said though the branch location, 8151 S. Cottage Grove Ave., is five minutes from her office, she sacrifices more time going through the metal detectors than she would driving to other branches a few miles away.
" have to strip almost to go into the bank, she said.
Protesters held bright yellow and blue signs that read, Respect us or leave us! and These insulting policies will not be accepted.
Rev. Michae
l Pfleger of St. Sabina Church, who coordinated the protest, said the entrance signage, metal detector and general attitude of the bank are signs of racism. Pfleger told Paula Boston, the branch man
ager
, that if the bank didn't remove the signage an
d metal detector or leave the neighborhood by July 1, protesters would move on to Bank One's corporate headquarters downtown.
"'m hoping they have enough good sense and respect to stop it, said Pfleger. "f you don't want to respect us, get the hell out of our community.
Protester George Mosely, 70, said he would not consider patronizing an institution that would disrespect him or make him feel like a criminal.
How many insults can we take? he asked. Inside the bank, tellers and the few customers who came to do business tried to ignore the milling crowd outside the front windows. At the island where customers fill out deposit and withdrawal slips, stapled fliers describe the advanced double-door security for a safer, friendlier banking ex
perience.
For Boston, the reason for the security measures is clear: the area's high crime statistics.
Bank One is very concerned about the safety of its customers and employ
ees, sh
e said in her office.
`I
love it,' teller says
Alice Hill, a Chatham teller, said the measures are for everyone's good.
" love it. I feel safe not only for myself, but for the customers, she said. Hill said she feels bad that customers are protesting the measures, and she would not mind seeing metal detectors at all locations.
Thomas Kelly, a Bank One spokesman, said customers are better off having the branch instead of no branch at all.
We wanted to create a location that was convenient and safe, Kelly said. And this works.
He said there are eight other such locations in Milwaukee, Detroit, Indianapolis and Dayton, Ohio, all with high crime rates. The bank began installing the devices in 1998, and there has been only one robbery at those branches, he said.
Sec
urity vestibulessometimes called man trapsare becoming more common at banks and other locations that want to ensure customers and employees are protected, said Bill Diaz, chief e
xecutive off
icer of NovaC
omm Security Systems. The Puerto Rico-based company has installed such devices at banks in Pennsylvania, California, Michigan and other states, he said.
In August, man traps were credited with foiling two robberies in Pennsylvania. In Pittsburgh and a few days later in West Philadelphia, suspects were caught between the two doors of the security chamber when they tried to flee with cash, according to The Associated Press.
The Cottage Grove branch is the first Bank One in the Chicago area to use the enhanced security measures. The bank considers several factors when deciding whether to install such devices, including the branch's size, layout and the neighborhood where it's located. A nearby Bank One office at 67th Street and Stony Island Avenue does not have a metal detector and security vest
ibule, but it is a stand-alone building with its own parking lot. The new branch on Cottage Grove is in a storefront location, making it more difficult to monitor pedestrian
traffic near the
office, Kelly
said.
There are no current plans to expand the heightened security setup to other locations, he said.
Several protesters noted that ShoreBank, at 7936 S. Cottage Grove Ave., does not use such measures.
So much security only at select locations is a troublesome trend, said Marva Williams, senior vice president at the Woodstock Institute, a not-for-profit group that analyzes lending practices and other banking trends. The Chicago-based group also has argued banks need to do more to serve low-income areas.
Could scare away customers
Many in some neighborhoods are distrustful of banks, and such rigorous screening to even enter a branch will scare some customers away, Williams said. Security like that adds to the level of distrust and discomfort that some customers feel when
dealing with banks, she said. " think it's unfortunate.
Near the end of the protest, the manager sent word that the red sign prohibiting guns would be remove
d, but Pfleger said
that was not e
nough.
We are not that desperate for a bank at this location, said Pfleger, who said he plans to contact Jamie Dimon, Bank One's CEO, if his demands are not met.
http://amren.com/news/news04/06/17/banksecurity.html
Rigid Bank Security Decried
Courtney K. Wade, Chicago Tribune, Jun. 16
For Karen Buford, making a deposit at the newly opened Bank One branch in Chatham is a demeaning experience.
First, she goes through a glass door with a sign warning against guns and cautioning customers to pass one at a time. She waits impatiently, locked in the narrow confines of a metal detector. A red light means access denied, and a customer service agent's voice fills the space, apologizing for the inconvenience and telling her to remove all dense met
l objects from her person, purse or pockets. A green light means she may enter through the second glass door.
The extreme security measures at the South Side bank, installed when the bank opened, dre
w a protest Tuesday from the community, which sees them as b
latant signs of the bank's distrust for Chatham, an established middle-class minority neighborhood. Bank officials say the precautions are necessary in high crime areas.
But you've got crime everywhere, said Buford, who has to make weekly deposits at the branch for the small company she works for.
She said though the branch location, 8151 S. Cottage Grove Ave., is five minutes from her office, she sacrifices more time going through the metal detectors than she would driving to other branches a few miles away.
" have to strip almost to go into the bank, she said.
Protesters held bright yellow and blue signs that read, Respect us or leave us! and These insulting policies will not be accepted.
Rev. Michae
l Pfleger of St. Sabina Church, who coordinated the protest, said the entrance signage, metal detector and general attitude of the bank are signs of racism. Pfleger told Paula Boston, the branch man
ager
, that if the bank didn't remove the signage an
d metal detector or leave the neighborhood by July 1, protesters would move on to Bank One's corporate headquarters downtown.
"'m hoping they have enough good sense and respect to stop it, said Pfleger. "f you don't want to respect us, get the hell out of our community.
Protester George Mosely, 70, said he would not consider patronizing an institution that would disrespect him or make him feel like a criminal.
How many insults can we take? he asked. Inside the bank, tellers and the few customers who came to do business tried to ignore the milling crowd outside the front windows. At the island where customers fill out deposit and withdrawal slips, stapled fliers describe the advanced double-door security for a safer, friendlier banking ex
perience.
For Boston, the reason for the security measures is clear: the area's high crime statistics.
Bank One is very concerned about the safety of its customers and employ
ees, sh
e said in her office.
`I
love it,' teller says
Alice Hill, a Chatham teller, said the measures are for everyone's good.
" love it. I feel safe not only for myself, but for the customers, she said. Hill said she feels bad that customers are protesting the measures, and she would not mind seeing metal detectors at all locations.
Thomas Kelly, a Bank One spokesman, said customers are better off having the branch instead of no branch at all.
We wanted to create a location that was convenient and safe, Kelly said. And this works.
He said there are eight other such locations in Milwaukee, Detroit, Indianapolis and Dayton, Ohio, all with high crime rates. The bank began installing the devices in 1998, and there has been only one robbery at those branches, he said.
Sec
urity vestibulessometimes called man trapsare becoming more common at banks and other locations that want to ensure customers and employees are protected, said Bill Diaz, chief e
xecutive off
icer of NovaC
omm Security Systems. The Puerto Rico-based company has installed such devices at banks in Pennsylvania, California, Michigan and other states, he said.
In August, man traps were credited with foiling two robberies in Pennsylvania. In Pittsburgh and a few days later in West Philadelphia, suspects were caught between the two doors of the security chamber when they tried to flee with cash, according to The Associated Press.
The Cottage Grove branch is the first Bank One in the Chicago area to use the enhanced security measures. The bank considers several factors when deciding whether to install such devices, including the branch's size, layout and the neighborhood where it's located. A nearby Bank One office at 67th Street and Stony Island Avenue does not have a metal detector and security vest
ibule, but it is a stand-alone building with its own parking lot. The new branch on Cottage Grove is in a storefront location, making it more difficult to monitor pedestrian
traffic near the
office, Kelly
said.
There are no current plans to expand the heightened security setup to other locations, he said.
Several protesters noted that ShoreBank, at 7936 S. Cottage Grove Ave., does not use such measures.
So much security only at select locations is a troublesome trend, said Marva Williams, senior vice president at the Woodstock Institute, a not-for-profit group that analyzes lending practices and other banking trends. The Chicago-based group also has argued banks need to do more to serve low-income areas.
Could scare away customers
Many in some neighborhoods are distrustful of banks, and such rigorous screening to even enter a branch will scare some customers away, Williams said. Security like that adds to the level of distrust and discomfort that some customers feel when
dealing with banks, she said. " think it's unfortunate.
Near the end of the protest, the manager sent word that the red sign prohibiting guns would be remove
d, but Pfleger said
that was not e
nough.
We are not that desperate for a bank at this location, said Pfleger, who said he plans to contact Jamie Dimon, Bank One's CEO, if his demands are not met.