Application Notes

Jun 1, 1997 12:00 PM, Staff

An ATM-related robbery occurs every hour, by one estimate, as thieves try to grab a portion of a reported $6 million in transactions handled each year by the average ATM machine.

Since these crimes are approximately five times more likely to occur after 8 p.m., banks are looking to improve ATM safety at night. One method is to ensure that lighting remains constant and bright. The LA2000 Light Alarm System performs this function automatically by monitoring light and signaling when it drops below acceptable levels. Offered by Protection Systems Inc., Newport Beach, Calif., the device includes a controller, a remote foot-candle sensor and an interface for an AC or DC power source.

ATM safety can be compromised when the lighting is masked or vandalized, says John Shriner, corporate security manager for Norwest Bank, Minneapolis. At Norwest ATMs, the LA2000 will trigger back-up lighting and send a signal to a central alarm-monitoring station, so personnel can be dispatched to fix the problem. The device can also shut down an ATM until primary lighting is restored.

Not only will the customer be better protected from loss, so will the bank. It is almost a certainty that failure to provide or maintain adequate lighting at ATMs will result in the provider being held responsible for injuries to its ATM customers, says James Schmiesing, attorney and vice president of Protection Systems.

Seventeen states have implemented legislation regulating ATM security standards, including a requirement for constant light levels, typically 10 foot-candles. - George Partington

Dollars, yen, rubles, pounds, lira, francs, punts - bank notes used around the world have a common characteristic: They wear out. When currency showing sufficient deterioration finds its way back to the bank, it is set aside and marked for destruction. The equipment used by more than 350 central banks in 50 countries to destroy such notes is manufactured in Westborough, Mass., by Security Engineered Machinery. Most low-denomination notes have a useful life of about one year, but ATM machines and their need for fit money have reduced that life.

Drexler Technology Corp., Mountain View, Calif., has received an order from the Philippines for 62,000 Lasercard optical memory cards for the Clark Special Economic Zone, for a unit of Honda Motor Co., and for a medical center. The cards will be used as the admission pass/purchase log for the duty-free Clark Special Economic Zone, as the HondaCard for vehicle warranty/maintenance records and as a medical center health access card.

Using Touch Signature inkless fingerprint pads from Identicator, Marina Del Ray, Calif., Wells Fargo has instituted a Touch Security Fingerprint program. Wells Fargo/First Interstate account holders who wish to cash a Wells Fargo/First Interstate check will be asked to provide a fingerprint on the face of the check. Touch Signature instantly develops permanent, black, non-smearing prints, according to Identicator.

Fuzzy images no longer prevent suspects from being identified in Newport Beach, Calif. According to Anaheim, Calif.-based Gyyr, the Newport Beach Police Department's old surveillance system allowed only half their cameras to be processed during playback, preventing the ability to view images from multiple cameras. With a new Gyyr TLC2100-SHDA recorder, photo technicians at the police department can play back images on the VCR and use a Targa Card to digitize the images. Subjects can be isolated and clarified using Adobe Photoshop.

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