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#11626 - 12/10/02 01:47 PM Re: When should tellers send their alarm?
Uncle_Milty Offline
Gold Star
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 434
New Jersey
I agree with Thomas and train the same way. It's too easy to sit up in the home office and make policy and procedure. These tellers (yes, some are young and inexperienced) are the ones at risk and therefore I think we need to give them the option to use their judgment after discussing all of the pros and cons.

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Security - PUBLIC
#11627 - 12/10/02 02:29 PM Re: When should tellers send their alarm?
Anonymous
Unregistered

In response to ThomasJ's post, when would there ever be a situation where the robber was still in the bank and we would want to activate an alarm? I don't see that ever happening. The only possibility I could foresee was that someone was in a back room (break room where there is a CCTV monitor of the lobby activity)and witnesses a robbery in progress. But instead of an alarm being sent, I would want a phone call directly to the Police, explaining that the robber is still in the bank, so the Police would know what they are dealing with. But I think training tellers to trip an alarm when they deem it safe to do so is setting a bank up for a significant liability suit if something goes wrong...the bank will be seen as being more interested in protecting their money and getting the robber caught than protecting their employees...only my opinion, but I preach SAFETY FIRST !!! Virtually all banks in my area train their tellers NEVER to activate an alarm until the robber is out the door...and the Police agree with this procedure, as they don't want a hostage situation.

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#11628 - 12/10/02 05:05 PM Re: When should tellers send their alarm?
thomasj Offline
Power Poster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 5,063
Pennsylvania
I don't think anyone can predict what type of situation a robber could possibly put our front line people in. Robbers are not rational people. What I am saying is I train them on what their options are and what the consequenses are. I would not want to put myself in a position of telling them something that concrete in such an unpredictable situation.

One scenario would be if a robber shot someone in the branch at the begining of a take over robbery. No one sends an alarm because they were always trained to never trip the alarm until after the robber leaves. The robber locks everyone else inside the vault and the injured person dies as a result of their injuries. The family argues that if the alarm was sent and help had arrived sooner, the death could have been avoided.

I can't say for sure that in this imaginary situation someone should have sent an alarm, no one can. We were not there to assess the situation and we do not have enough information to make that decision. I think if we tell them that they absolutely can not send the alarm, and have that as a written policy, you open yourself up to more liability.

Just my opinion!
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Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it.

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#11629 - 12/10/02 05:16 PM Re: When should tellers send their alarm?
Lestie G Offline

Power Poster
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,608
Near the Land of Enchantment
Exactly the point I was trying to make with my story about the CEO's family - people react differently to situations, based on their temperaments and past experiences. It's easy to set a hard and fast rule in your policy and as you train, and much harder to follow that rule when common sense and someone's safety and maybe life tell you to do otherwise.

I think the best we can do is give people good solid training, and understand that the 'standing rule' to not trip the alarm until it's safe, or the perp is out of the bank, or whatever, may need to be modified in certain situations. Then you hope that the person modifying is making a rational decision!
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Opinions my own.

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#11630 - 12/10/02 05:19 PM Re: When should tellers send their alarm?
BANNED BY BOL MANAGEMENT Offline
Platinum Poster
BANNED BY BOL MANAGEMENT
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 524
There is no liability that would accrue if your policy was to not activate an alarm until after a bad guy has left the bank. That doesn't pass the logic test. If that were true, the same liability would accrue if you set off the alarm and everybody was shot. Safety first, above every other consideration.

Basically, a monster arrives in your space and your job is to send them on his way without placing yourself or co-workers in harms way. You don't do stuff to upset the monster!

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#11631 - 12/10/02 05:59 PM Re: When should tellers send their alarm?
thomasj Offline
Power Poster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 5,063
Pennsylvania
I guess setting the liability issue aside, if I trained someone to follow a hard fast procedure and a situation arose in which that procedure may have caused them to be injured or killed, I would have a very hard time living with myself. If I give them options and allow them to make their own decision based on the event, I think it would be a little easier.

Wow, this is too heavy, I am off to find a frivolity thread....................
_________________________
Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it.

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#11632 - 12/10/02 08:06 PM Re: When should tellers send their alarm?
Uncle_Milty Offline
Gold Star
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 434
New Jersey
I think good training is the real key. Ensure that the employees know safety is the only concern, let them know that it's usually safest to wait until the robber leaves before hitting the alarm, but don't handcuff them by policy to it. As for liability, I wouldn't want put my money on the bank vs. a grieving spouse/parent in front of a jury regardless of the policy.

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