Oliphant 1 Chase Oliphant Brenda McKenna Writing 1010 11/25/2013 What is the best way to successfully pull of a bank

robbery? In our society today almost every choice we make is governed by two main things: time, and money. I cant choose to go to a movie, for example, if I dont have money for the ticket, or I cant choose to go out and have an enjoyable time with my friends if I have a paper due tomorrow in my writing class. While, unfortunately, there is no possible way to make more time, there are ways to make more money. The most common way would be to get a job. While this method seems to work for a very large majority of our population, there are way too many options. For instance, should I apply for a job that requires more time but pays more, or a job thats a little easier and pays less? For most of us, we want a line of work that pays a maximum amount with minimum effort. However, unless Microsoft or Apple is hiring a new CEO, these jobs are out of the question. No, the only way for one to make a large sum of money with relative ease is to engage in illegal or questionable activities. After the decision has been made to start illegally making money, one has to decide what they are going to do. There are so many different ways to acquire their money. The options range from tax fraud to drug trafficking. However, a deeper analysis shows how most of these options are completely out of the question. For example, in order to complete tax fraud, one must first have a job that pays a substantial amount. And if one has a job that pays well, they probably

Oliphant 2 wont need to commit tax fraud. The only illegal action with a payout that is worth the risk is bank robbery. With all of this in mind I set off to find an answer to my question: what is the best way to successfully pull of a bank robbery? To start my research I decided I needed to learn more about bank security. To do this, I went to Google and found several very interesting things. To start, I found that banks are extremely reluctant to give any information on how their security systems work. Fortunately, after I did a little digging I was able to find some useful information. To start, I learned that most banks have very similar security systems, which include things one might expect, like cameras and vaults, but now banks also have silent alarms, biometric sensors, and even explosives hidden in bundles of money (Flanagan). As bank security increases, the skill and execution of the robber must increase as well. I decided to look further in to a few aspects of bank security. The first part I looked into was bank vaults. The vault in a bank is a secure space where money, valuables, records, and documents can be stored (Vaults). These vary in size, but how and what they are made of is quite consistent. Bank vaults are made of steel-reinforced concrete, usually about 3-4 inches thick. While this doesnt seem very thick, the concrete used isnt average. It is specially designed to set fast and be extremely dense. The door is made from the same material, but it is set in a stainless steel frame. Vault manufacturers use a variety of different locks to secure the vault. A few of the most common locks are; dual combination locks, where two dials must have a combination inserted at the same time by two different people; high security key locks, where a series of keys have to be inserted at different times to open the vault; and time locks, where the vault can only be opened at certain times during the day (Vaults).

Oliphant 3 The performance standards for vaults are created by Underwriters Laboratories. They have created a scale which measures the quality of the vault by how long it takes to breach the vault. A breach is a hole in the door or wall of at least 96 square inches or breaking locking bolts to allow the door to open (Vaults). The ratings are as follows: Class M: 15 minutes Class I: 30 minutes Class II: 60 minutes Class III: 120 minutes

While these numbers may seem a bit discouraging, these numbers are based on household tools such as drills or torches. These do not include the use of explosives. The next part of security I looked into was the placing of explosives into bundles of money. To find out more about this, I searched online and found a page on Wikipedia about it. From this I learned that over 75% of banks in the United States use devices called exploding dye packs. These small electronics are hidden inside bundles of money and placed onto a magnetic plate. During a robbery, the money is taken off of the plate, and the device is armed. After passing through the door of the bank, a radio transmitter will activate the devices, which after a set period of time will explode, causing red dye to spray out and permanently destroy the money. These explosions can also reach temperatures as high as 400oF, which may potentially burn the robber (Pack). These little bundles of joy are normally kept close to the tellers, and are used in smaller robberies where a person is threatening a teller. They are not usually kept inside the vault.

Oliphant 4 After I found the information I needed on the security of banks, I decided to look up some of the more successful past bank robberies, and study their techniques. The first robbery I looked at was performed by a group of men in Brazil. These men bought a house close to a bank, put up construction signs, and started to drill. After three months of hard work, these men were able to steal $73.2 million dollars (Flanagan). Another robbery I came across used an extremely different method. A group now known as the Barclays Gang was hired as IT workers at the British bank Barclays. During their work, they set up a Keyboard-video-mouse which allowed them to access the banks computers remotely and transfer over $2 million into their own accounts (Flanagan). While these robberies were quite successful, they hardly even compare to this next one. In 2003, a group of Iraqi terrorists under the direction of Saddam Hussein and led by men named Qusay and Abid al-Hamid Mahmood, arrived at Iraqs central bank. After their arrival, they proceeded to conduct a massive raid on the bank, stealing over $1 billion dollars (Reybern). This is considered the largest robbery in history and it remains to be seen whether anyone will ever manage to steal more (Reybern). These robberies were all very well planned and executed, and because of that, the payout was extreme. I took what I could from these bank robberies to help me create a plan of my own, but I still felt like I was missing something. Then I realized, I had never actually seen a robbery take place. How am I supposed to rob a bank if Ive never seen a robbery first hand by experienced professionals? Unfortunately, I cant see into the future, so I have no way of knowing when and where a robbery will take place. But what I do have access to is one of humanities favorite pastimes: the cinema.

Oliphant 5 Movies about heists and robberies have been popular ever since they were first made in the 1920s. While some of these films are exaggerated to an extent, there is a good amount of truth behind them. The film I chose to use in my research was one of the best movies ever, and even though it is not a heist movie, I chose to view The Dark Knight. During the opening scene of the movie, 5 men dressed as clowns rob a bank. I find their methods to be very efficient and effective. Their process is: 1. Hack into the security system to disable alarms and block calls from bank to police 2. Kill the person whos job that was 3. Enter the bank wearing masks 4. Keep men in lobby while one person goes back to open the vault 5. Kill the vault opener 6. Load all of the money into bags 7. Transfer the money into inconspicuous getaway vehicle 8. Kill the rest of the crew 9. Be out before the police arrive This robbery was fast, efficient, and the single survivor made off with $68 million dollars. However, there were some flaws in the portrayal of the movie. For example, the man drilling into the vault achieved a breach in a few minutes, instead of 30-60. Other than this, and a few other flaws, the robbery was extremely successful and surprisingly realistic. Now that I have gathered a sufficient amount of data, I will come up with my plan to pull off one of the most successful bank heists in history.

Oliphant 6 To start I would form a group of people who have the skill set required to perform this mission, and that I know I can trust. Once my group has been assembled, we will choose our target. The target chosen will depend on the number of cameras, security guards, class of vault, and amount of money in vault on average. After the target is chosen, we will go, disable the phone lines and security system, and enter the bank. This robbery will be an attempt to breach the vault, simply because the payout is much higher, and the risk of dye packs being used is lower (Futrelle). To breach the vault we will drill several small holes into the door of the vault, fill them with C-4, and blow it up. After the door is open we will proceed to fill unmarked duffel bags with the money. We will then load the money into an older model, unmarked minivan with stolen plates that we will ditch after the robbery is completed. Of course the biggest question with bank robbery is what do I do with the money after I have it? well for that I have a simple solution. Keep it in your home. Dont go spending it like crazy, and do not put it in a bank. If there is a chance the bills are marked putting them in a bank, the next group to knock on your door will be a swat team. Also, dont tell anyone about what youve done. Its a sure way to get caught, blackmailed, or killed. In our society making a living is becoming increasingly hard. The retirement age is going up, because people cant afford to save. To secure a financial future with our economy, actions have to be taken. Robbing a bank is the best way to securely acquire enough money to make sure you and your loved ones are financially secure.

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Bibliography
Flanagan, Jack. "How to rob a bank in the 21st century." Kernelmag.com. 15 October 2013. Website. 25 November 2013. Futrelle, David. "Thinking About Robbing a Bank? Read This First" Time.com. 14 June 2012. Website. 27 November 2013. Dye Pack. Wikepedia.com. 15 August 2013. Website. 6 December 2013. Reybern, Stan. "15 of the Biggest Bank Heists Ever" billshrink.com. 21 July 2009. Website. 6 December 2013. Bank Vault. Wikipedia.org. 14 November 2013. Website. 6 December 2013. The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale. 2008. Film.