Gunman Robs Indiana Payday Loan Store

Employee left alone in store

A Check into Cash store in Crown Point, Indiana, was robbed Thursday. There was only one employee in the store at the time.

Armed robber

The employee reports that the robber pointed a handgun at him and demanded he empty the cash drawer. After the cash was put in the robber’s bag, the man ordered the employee to lie facedown on the floor for five minutes.

Invest in security

I have advocated many times on this site that payday loan stores make every effort to protect their employees. This year so far, there have been payday loan store robberies all over the country, from Spokane, Wash., to Columbia, Tenn.

In 2007, an employee at a payday loan store in Illinois was killed during a  robbery. The woman was working alone at the time she was shot. After that incident, many payday loan stores made a point of making sure employees were never left alone in stores. It is disturbing to hear that some store owners are not taking this precaution.

Technology can help

Besides making sure employees are not left alone, stores should use security cameras to help deter criminals and identify suspects.

Last month, robberies in Virginia and California were caught on tape, and their images were broadcast on TV news and the Internet.

Popular crime in Indiana

Several payday loan stores in Indiana have already been robbed this year.  In Indianapolis,  in January, four payday loan stores were robbed within a week. On  Jan. 19, two stores were robbed within about 45 minutes of each other.

During the week before those robberies, two other payday loan stores were hit. The same two men were suspected of committing all four robberies as well as another robbery at an auto parts store.

Also this year, criminals have robbed payday loan stores in Iowa, Texas and Illinois.