26 Jan ‘Remain Vigilant’: RPD Gives Tips to Protect Public from Robbery

(David Meza / Pulse file)

By Samantha Kennedy

After a recent trend in smash-and-grab robberies at ATMs, the Richmond Police Department is arming residents with tips on how to avoid being targeted.

“This is not to be fearful but to remain vigilant,” Crime Prevention Manager Michelle Milam said at the department’s Crime Prevention meeting Wednesday. “We all have to be mindful, especially when getting in and out of your car or vehicle.”

Many of the robberies have been committed at banks and ATMs where the thief will often watch the person withdraw money and break into their car once the person has left.

Detective Brandon Hodges said perpetrators will often conceal their identity while targeting a potential victim. In cases where a thief uses a vehicle, it often has no license plate.

No two incidents are the same, however, and how people are targeted varies. According to Hodges, the trend is not unique to Richmond, and groups of thieves are committing robberies across the Bay Area. Some incidents involve people being robbed after using the ATM or after being followed home.

Hodges says being aware of your surroundings — such as keeping an eye out for vehicles or people that you believe are suspicious — and hiding personal belongings are some ways to prevent a robbery.

If you have to use an ATM or bank, consider the time of day you do so. Though robberies have occurred during the day because of thieves “getting brazen,” the daylight often provides more witnesses should a crime occur.

One crime analysis technician at the police department, Sofia Ayala, said many of these robberies have happened along the Macdonald Avenue corridor.

In its weekly patrol activity overview released Thursday, the department noted two robberies on Jan. 19 where victims had just visited a bank. Officers responded to victims on the 4300 block of Macdonald Avenue and around the blocks of San Pablo and Roosevelt avenues. One victim had his purse stolen when walking to his vehicle, while the other’s window was smashed in at a red light before a purse was taken.

Other recent weekly overviews have shown several similar robberies, though they are not representative of all calls the department responds to.

If you see a vehicle following you after withdrawing money, Hodges told community members at the meeting, you can call 911 or drive to a safe public location, like the police department.

“Maybe it’ll divert that suspect from actually targeting you, especially when you are going home,” Hodges said.

The department alerted the public of the robberies earlier in the month in a Facebook post, advising residents to stay aware of their surroundings at ATMs and while loading items into their cars at the grocery store.

It’s not the first time the department has had to warn the public about these types of robberies.

Last year, smash-and-grab robberies reportedly increased around February and May. The increases, which also included an increase in robberies in the middle of May, were addressed in a crime prevention meeting.

Ayala said at the meeting that the city saw a 16% increase in robberies in 2023 as compared with 2022.

Community members can attend the next community meeting hosted by the Richmond Police Department on Feb. 5, where attendees can view and provide feedback on police military equipment as required by Assembly Bill 481.