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February 7, 1997

Sheriff Hathaway offers tips to discourage armed robberies

"An armed robbery is a terrifying and costly experience for a merchant," Caddo Parish Sheriff Don Hathaway said recently, "but there are ways for a business to reduce the likelihood of being held up."

Sheriff Hathaway explained that armed robbers prefer to remain as unobtrusive as possible. Any attention focused on them may make them nervous and discourage them from carrying out the hold-up.

He outlined some simple steps business owners and managers can take to reduce their chances of being victims of armed robbers:

• Remove any oversized advertising banners or posters from windows. The store interior should be plainly visible to passers-by.
• Offer coffee to attract late night visitors, including law enforcement officers; the more traffic in the store, the better.
• Post placards that state, "Please pay with the smallest possible bill, we keep a minimum amount of cash on hand."
• Train managers and other employees to be aware of and to greet every person entering the store.
• If you become suspicious of anyone waiting in line to check out, ask the customer ahead of the suspect if they are together. This may unnerve a possible armed robber.

"While there are obviously no guarantees against an armd robbery," Sheriff Hathaway concluded, "if these suggestions tip the odds even slightly in the business owner's favor, it will be well worth the effort."

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