Number of bank robberies in state declining

For the seventh year in a row, the number of bank robberies in Washington has dropped, but the state still ranks ninth in the nation in bank heists, according to figures released Friday by the FBI's Seattle field office.

Last year, there were 221 bank robberies in the state, said FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs. Since 1998, when there were a record-high 357 heists in the state, the number has steadily dropped, to 334 in 1999; 319 in 2000; 312 in 2001; 293 in 2002; 259 in 2003; and 253 in 2004, Burroughs said.

A large portion of the state's bank robberies historically have occurred in King County, where there were 100 in 2005, she said.

There were 36 bank robberies in Pierce County and 35 in Snohomish County, Burroughs said. She was unable to provide breakdowns for those counties for previous years.

Despite the decrease, Washington still ranks in the country's top 10 states for bank heists: California had the most bank robberies in 2005 with 906, followed by Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Washington and Florida, according to FBI data.

In Washington, banks are robbed more frequently on Thursdays between 3 and 6 p.m. by white men wearing hats, though Burroughs couldn't say why that is. Robbers are most likely to pass a teller a demand note and frequently indicate they have a weapon but rarely show one, Burroughs said.

Since 1995, $21 million have been stolen in 2,961 bank robberies statewide, with more than 1,600 of them committed in King County. During that same time, authorities recovered just over a third — $7.3 million — of the stolen loot, Burroughs said.

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com