Ke Alakai o Hawaii, Volume VI, Number 12, 20 July 1933 — INVISIBLE WAR ON CRIME PROTECTS BANKS, VAULTS [ARTICLE]

INVISIBLE WAR ON CRIME PROTECTS BANKS, VAULTS

' ByDONBLA€E In Popular Mechanics If you're thinking of taking up j burglary as a career, do some tall 4iihiklng first. It is one thing ; to play tag with the poiiee, quite another to outwit tiie modern scientist. j Today a new and deadly weap - on iias becn placed hi jthe hands ol law and order. Witifits amazing silent alarms, ,science has at last beaten the burglar, bandit and bad man to the draw. The gunman's "rod" may be hairtrigger, but science has the dropj now. The really.6»iart crook is throwhig up his hands. Suppose, jaevertheless, you've decided to rob a bank. If you choose an institution with modern protection, there's apt to be one less job needed injthis eountry and one more automaticalIy created for the JOftdertaker. But you are obstinate and, the way being clear, stick a gun in the cashier's face. JJe turns pale but obeys your command and makes no sound, You pocket the pad of banknote« he hands you and back away, lt was ali so quietly accomp}ished, so simple and easy you almos,t laugh~unti,l you reach the ,door tmd meet a shotgun squad. No magi#-about that. It wasn't any coinc!d<*nce either. You never had a Chinaman's ehanee from the moment you walked into that bank. and pulled your gun. Here's what happened: Wh.en the cashier handed you the money, a green light flashed on a big switchlS<Sārd several blocks away. Instahtly v a buzzer sounded and the hank's address spelled out on a tidker tape. Almost before the cUrrency passed into your hand, «3owri there at the bank, a fāst car was' i-oa'ring toward the Scene. Eadio patro!s of the polics department likewise began bearing down in your direction, _ As a shotgun always does its talking aftpr tiie. shooting, you may p.evet h"ave'ieamed it was the money pa,d.thaj'.ypped off the robbery, A ,ple thing, and yet jo the scared do wās ohey your comma.n3s." *But," you object, "he probably handled that money a Hundred times during the day and no alarm was sent in." Quite right. Here's the ca,tch. Any way that pad of hiīl's ls handled in a normal' riianner touches off the ? fead you been there to ob&B;6/ you "WOUW have noticed that every he opened the dr'aWer or p4Cfced up the money durihg the ordinary business day it was Āone in an awkward, unnatural way.. Otherwise a false alarm wouid have been rung. That's just one little joker in modern cashier's bag of tricks, . Suppose you txied to elimh his cage. That's wired, too. If you had demanded the key and uniocked the cage door, another siknt alann wouid liave been on way. That key lms a Uny teiitaie poinL that makes eleetrical contact if inserted in the normal way. * There are foot buttons, too, triggers reieased by the upward thrust of a toe, eoii springs, speoiai keys on casli registers and a 4oaea more ingenious contrivauces mile» ahead of the iawbreaker today. Successful bank robberies anvi holdups do occur liul »ot on premises prolectlou| Of AX>.T. AX).T. is short tor Americau j District Tclogr;\pii eompany, ilie = onli' institiuior t o? its kind Uil this cpuntry, II is at- onee al commercial co;r,;\;ny and a uiii-i Q,ue .law enforcement ag;ency. j OriginiIly \Vestern Union, A.I>T. is still a subsidiary. Ahout 50 year=> ago a business man eaine to Western Ūnion. <f My night w atcl\mai 4 is aiways going to sleep,"' lie SiUd. "How mueh will you cluirge me to have a messengei- every liour Utiat he k,eepcs tV.e job," Prom th:u sleepy patrolmim ha$ growa a l v ;.$ines6 Uiai pro more th;ui 32 hUllion dol-l worth oi In thgl thiited Statos An elaborate oriatUaaUou is uuūntaiued iu «Wy iarse eitj . AU protecUv«

devices aie wiieU lo eompiiealed operated by highly tra|fted men, The eomowii stalwart W meāena;... i R"MtoSK2 r SL{lecWcd ou bBraa, :jroadaUty. Here are a few, tlps you'd be up agjdust #e!d. i £vei3r ajid means ol mo<iern protection electrical foil. Onee are set at hight, touch clicks ah somewhere. A mouse acros.s the' doo"r"""" iamb the circuit. SuppQa^. i you got pass the first barrier a gun on llie warehouse. , rig ht on your rounds. you growl, as a. confeg^M' j t fegin s cpllecting thel$o i!a^^^ , Yau've,Jhft|£d that if the watchinan, to ring m there'll b£ ,fknj®mediate lnvestigationu, ,you haven't good |t,would do watci^nap'5 freauen%. .ch|naed tirne interyai To dc- , feat you. he kefāJ>nly delay his eall or intervals. about thafc snrt This is just ean" guy like .■. _ key in ly a Ught"lmEes 'at'lvea"d- 1 gets bis. 7 J" Let's try another way. Tlie | watchman Uj ,§uqprked putside lthis time &&d treafe your gun i barrel.w&h a i key off J*ands it i pver. you ! waik īhto the i<J£44er's.,,p^^J[^te t i§ Just pne >t would take teU thc i difference.. āny poor burglar a;e ' Wired . ■ pla.ss and sill alannā, "^^^p B jUg'ht ravs that a meer ffaa4ftw will «jliortcircuit, infrk-rqfl j devices. the ,othcr puhUe traos. to .thwartthc criminal. "riie percent&geof catches, onee the alaiia t ls the highest in cri^^Taianais. Aoide tTom]ihsl deadly wire foils, bank vatjife!how are protected by newest of the S$SGip devices. It has ears so keen that a' mouse gnawing m paj>er Will switch the telltale aght at hea<J<iaarters. The f€dntēsl noise, greatly ampli.fied, is reiayed to the board. Whiie primarily a burglar &iarm, it was de$igned &lso for the unforjUin&te eashier or clerk Ioeked in, aceidently ov by a ruthless i&i&lip man. Such aii officia! ,night ?9t ii\Jured or ga L :ged, but hk, ffroans over tl\e alarm wou!d ef|ect in\mediate release. V ealthy and i«ronUnent people wiUi childr£n n.vW, have their homes guarded hy the, device&> , .