NCJ Number
112141
Journal
Security Management Volume: 32 Issue: 6 Dated: (June 1988) Pages: 41-46
Date Published
1988
Length
6 pages
Annotation
A bill before the U.S. House of Representatives calls for measures to improve the safety and security of automated teller machines (ATM's).
Abstract
HR 785, the ATM Crime Prevention Act of 1987, established minimum security standards to be written as an amendment of the Bank Protection Act of 1968. The proposed standards would be voluntary for 3 years, and then become mandatory. The bill also requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to include data on ATM-related crime as part of its annual crime statistics. The minimum standards call for an emergency alarm system (alarm button, telephone, or alarm code), surveillance cameras and video transaction cameras, secure enclosures around ATM's with access controls, and customer education. A task force study by the Bank Administration Institute studied ATM crimes and elaborated on the suggestions contained in HR 785. The study examined currently used ATM security measures and assessed the benefits and drawbacks of various approaches. The task force noted problems with current alarm systems, as well as the potential of biometric applications in duress situations. It noted that 58 percent of ATM crime sites had no security cameras, and that surveillance coverage can deter crime and aid in suspect identification. The task force also suggested that the use of secure enclosures may actually facilitate ATM crime, and noted that site selection and supervision, concealment opportunities around the site, and lighting also should be considered in planning ATM security measures.