Police crack down on payday loan store thieves

Suspected robbers caught in Spokane

Payday loan store robberies are common. However, catching thieves who rob payday loan stores is not. Apparently, though, the city of Spokane, Washington, has become a little better at catching them, thanks to a string of robberies in the city earlier this year.

July 27, Spokane police caught and arrested two men suspected of robbing a payday loan store about 4:15 PM. Police have now identified the two men whom they believe robbed the Check Into Cash store at gunpoint.

Suspected thieves identified

July 28, Nathan J. Molina, 21, and Daniel I. Neace, 19, will appear in court on charges of first-degree robbery. Police say they arrested the two men after they responded to a call from a Spokane Check Into Cash store.

Molina and Neace were found a few blocks away from the store. Police found them with the help of one of their trusty service dogs. The stolen cash was recovered as was the gun they suspect was used during the robbery.

Past payday loan store robberies

Spokane is no stranger to robberies at payday loan stores. In January, one couple was suspected of committing four, possibly five, different robberies within the city. The couple was also accused of robbing pharmacies and stealing OxyContin.

Because of stakeouts at the pharmacies, the couple was caught. Although that was back in January, it appears payday loan stores in the area have not forgotten the lessons they learned during that time. A story from personal Money store, written shortly after the couple was caught in February says:

Extra security helps

The Check into Cash location in Spokane was able to thwart an attempted robbery by increasing security measures. The stores began keeping their doors locked and requiring customers to show ID before entering the store. One night a man wearing a black ski mask attempted to enter the building, but he ran away after he realized the building was locked.

More security measures

In June, a silent alarm at a payday loan store aided cops in arresting a robber who not only brandished a handgun at a California payday loan store, but took a hostage as well. Because of the silent alarm, the cops arrived before the robber was able to split. Although they had to chase them for a while, they did eventually catch and arrested him.

Police response time is crucial in catching suspected robbers, and silent alarms can greatly aid in this. In the event that police cannot respond quickly enough, security cameras can help identify robbers after the fact.

Protecting employees

Of course, the most important thing to consider when it comes to safety is protecting the people who work in the stores. I have only read of one death that occurred during a payday loan store robbery. An employee who was working alone was shot.

Making sure that more than one person is working inside the store at a time is absolutely crucial to protecting employees. Because there were no witnesses, the gunman involved in the fatal payday loan store robbery was never caught.

It’s getting better

Since I started reporting on payday loan store robberies at the beginning of this year, robberies have held steady, but arrests have become more common. It’s encouraging to see that payday loan store owners are doing a better job of protecting their capital and their employees and police are doing a better job of responding and tracking down robbers.

Spokane isn’t the only city in which a payday loan store robber has been thwarted. Employees and owners of payday loan stores should see this as a positive, hopeful sign that it is possible to defend your store against thieves.