Authorities in Riverside County are investigating more than a dozen business robberies over the past month, and they say robbers are getting smarter about their disguises.
The most notorious bank robber, who continues to escape capture, is the so called "geezer" bandit. Since June of 2010 he has been captured on bank security cameras in Riverside County, San Diego and Bakersfield.
There's been speculation he's wearing a mask -- that he's not really an older man. Whoever the person is, he remains free, uncaptured despite an incredible amount of evidence.
Surveillance video often gives police detectives some of their best evidence when asking for tips from the public. When Riverside's Silvergate Bank was robbed a few months ago, the suspects escaped with cash, but left behind video of their heist. But they wore masks.
In some cases, detectives bank on robbers bragging about their crimes, and incredibly, despite the disguises, some arrests come from tips where people recognize the way a suspect walks or the clothes they are wearing.
Riverside police have made a habit of putting high quality security video online, in addition to releasing it to the media.
Surveillance pictures from a US Bank Robbery on October 28 in Lake Elsinore show one suspect with a semi-automatic handgun. The pictures are good quality, but the suspects wore masks. Their getaway truck was recovered, reported stolen from Rancho Cucamonga.
As for the geezer bandit, if his appearance is a disguise, it appears to be working. We know the person is 5' 10", 190 pounds. The person appears to be 60 to 70 years old. The FBI has announced a $20,000 reward for the tip that helps catch the geezer bandit.
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