WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and SportsArea banks on alert after recent robberies
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Elk Mound (WQOW) -- After a recent string of bank robberies in western Wisconsin, some bank employees are taking extra precaution.
"Obviously with all the bank robberies that've happened in the last two to three weeks, I think every bank president looking at their bank has a heightened concern over security measures for the bank," says Dennis Meyer, the president of Independence State Bank in Elk Mound.
While Wednesday's robbery was taking place down the road, Meyer was at Independence talking to his staff about safety.
"We've got procedures, you know, for things with robbery that would happen, we've heightened them now, just to make sure everybody's refreshed," says Meyer.
One procedure put in place Wednesday: the doors were locked. Employees made eye contact with News 18 reporters before being let in.
"We don't know who they would come to next, and we just need to have those policies and procedures to deal with them when they come in, you don't want anybody getting hurt," says Meyer.
Meyer says the string of robberies are characteristic for the times we're in.
"Probably for quite a wide radius here there are a lot of people that are hurting right now. They're doing what they think they need to do to get some cash, and they're not considering the consequences."
One consequence Meyer says he doesn't want to have happen is one of his employees get hurt.
"What we're most concerned about is our employees safety and welfare on this. That's our biggest concern," says Meyer. "Money can be replaced. People can't."
