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Rosedale man charged with robbing 11 banks


Curtis Barthrop, 46, of 227-17 145th Ave. in Rosedale made off…

By Courtney Dentch

A Rosedale man who allegedly stole $80 from a Jamaica bank earlier this month was arrested last week and charged with robbing 11 banks throughout the city, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

Curtis Barthrop, 46, of 227-17 145th Ave. in Rosedale made off with nearly $4,000 from heists at one Jamaica bank, eight Manhattan branches and two Bronx banks between July 9 and July 19, Kelly said in a statement.

In each bank robbery, Barthrop passed the tellers notes demanding cash and said that he had a gun, Kelly said. In five of the incidents, Barthrop fled with cash — a total of $3,993 — while six other alleged attempted heists were unsuccessful, Kelly said.

Barthrop is accused of beginning his robbery spree in Jamaica, at a Chase Bank at 161-10 Jamaica Ave., Kelly said. Barthrop made off with $80 in cash, the commissioner said.

Barthrop hit three Manhattan banks July 11, another three July 15 and two more July 16, Kelly said. Barthrop is accused of robbing the two Bronx banks on July 19, getting his biggest single windfall of $3,013, Kelly said.

The arrest is just one in an attempt to crack down on “bandit” bank robberies — where the robbers pass the teller a note demanding cash — that have plagued the city since Jan. 1, Kelly said.

Police calculated there were 170 robberies in the five boroughs from Jan. 1 to April 20, up from a total of 57 during the same period last year. But they did not provide a breakdown based on the borough.

While statistics on bank heists alone were unavailable, police data shows robberies citywide were down by less than 1 percent through July 13. In northern Queens precincts the overall robbery rate has dropped by 0.2 percent from last year’s 1,494 reported thefts, and in the south part of the borough the total number of robberies has fallen by 2.7 percent, police statistics found.

“The Police Department has made 73 arrests for bank robbery so far this year, but we still need the banking industry’s help,” Kelly said. “Very few banks adhere to all of the best practices to thwart robberies that were recommended by the department and adopted by the New York Bankers Association in May. It is time for all banks to adopt all of the best practices.”

In a meeting with bank officials in May, Kelly emphasized what the Police Department considered “best practices” for deterring would-be robbers. The suggestions included installing high-resolution, well-positioned security cameras, bulletproof floor-to-ceiling “bandit barriers” and putting security guards or employees at the bank entrance to greet customers.

It was also recommended at the meeting that banks notify each other by e-mail of robberies and suspect descriptions and establish video links between bank cameras and police cars.

Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.