Allen P. worked as a safety inspector for the Dunbar Armored Car Company in Los Angeles, CA.
In 1997, he became disenfranchised with the company and decided he was going to steal from the safe.
His job with the company gave him access to daily operations, security plans, schedules, and other critical information.
The day before Allen planned to carry out the robbery, he was fired by the company.
But at this point, he had already made plans for the robbery and enlisted a group of friends to help him carry it out.
The group had keys to the building and knew how to avoid security cameras.
The robbery was planned for a Friday at midnight.
That’s because Allen knew that the Dunbar safe doors were usually open on Friday nights because the cash was constantly being moved.
The night of the robbery started like a Hollywood movie…
The men attended a party that evening to establish an alibi in case they were questioned by police.
First, the group used Allen’s keys to gain access to the building.
Next, they moved to the cafeteria where they bound workers with duct tape before they could call for help.
Then, the men pulled a U-Haul up to the vault and loaded bags of money into the vehicle.
Allen knew which bags contained high denominations and non-sequential bills, and which bags to avoid.
Before leaving the building Allen removed security camera tapes from the recording machines.
In under 30 minutes, the group pulled off the largest cash heist in U.S. history, stealing nearly $19 million.
After the heist, the men returned to the party.
At first, police had very little evidence to solve the crime.
The robbers knew they had to be patient, so they waited six months before spending any of the loot.
The group hired an attorney to help them launder the cash.
They purchased real estate and created fake companies to pass the money through.
For a few years, the plan worked…
But one day, one of the criminals slipped up.
During a real estate transaction, one of the robbers forgot to remove the currency paper wrappers from the stack of cash he was using.
The realtor noticed the wrapper and notified the police.
Soon after, one of the men was arrested and admitted to the crime.
He implicated the other men, and eventually the entire group was arrested.
Interestingly, about $12 million from the heist remains unaccounted for. The men refused to reveal where the cash was hidden.
Now, I’m a big fan of having a safe at home. From guns to cash they can protect your most prized possessions.
But, regardless of the safe you buy, there is the risk that thieves can break into it – even if they have to remove it from your home to do so.
Because of this, it’s a good idea to bolt your safe down whenever possible.
So, here are a few things to consider when bolting down your safe at home.
Is it really necessary?:
Obviously, the bigger the safe, the more it holds.
Criminals know this and will want to take the safe with them if possible.
Now, I realize that large safes are heavy, but a determined group can still move it.
And if your home is targeted by thieves who know your routine, they will know whether they have the time to move the safe.
Which is why, if you have a large safe, you want to bolt it down.
Harder to steal:
Bolting down a safe can be an effective deterrent.
Of course, with the right amount of time, even a safe that is bolted down can be stolen.
But a bolted-down safe is going to add time, people, and noise to a crime scene.
That most thieves will realize a bolted-down safe is not worth the time or headache.
Prying:
If a thief can’t take a safe with them their next option is usually to pry it open.
The best way to pry a large safe open is to tip it over and lay it on its back. This provides the best leverage to open the safe.
The quickest and easiest way to tip a large safe over is to start by rocking it back and forth, eventually working up momentum until you can tip it.
But if the safe is anchored securely to the ground, it should be impossible to rock in the first place, making it very tough to tip over.
If you decide to bolt a safe down the best location is one where you can anchor it into concrete, such as your basement or first floor.
Pick a place that you are comfortable having a (essentially) permanent safe.
And before you start drilling and anchoring, make sure the floor is clear of pipes, wires, or other components of the house.
In addition to your safe, you want to ensure your home defense is in order, so you never have to deal with thieves rooting around inside your home.
