Is It Dangerous to Alert the Cops During a Robbery?

I have a bartender friend whose safety I worry about, so I’ve been researching apps and widgets that let you silently alert police if you’re getting robbed. My friend counters that having police show up in the middle of a robbery would probably be more dangerous than just letting the robber do his thing and leave. Is he right? —Betty Buttinsky

The bartender is always right, Betty—it says so right there on the sign, between the reminder that it’s 5 o’clock somewhere and the notice about credit manager Helen Waite. Anyway, I see where your bartender is coming from. No one wants a simple stickup to degenerate into a Dog Day Afternoon scenario just because someone wanted to say “We have you surrounded!” through a megaphone.

The good news is that the cops know not to do anything to make the gunman feel cornered or panicky. Officer guidelines call for a discreet response: lights off, park around the corner, maintain cover and concealment. (Though one peace officer manual does suggest confirming that a crime is taking place by calling the participants on the phone, maybe not the stealthiest form of reconnaissance.)

The bad news is that a police response so muted that no one can even tell it’s happening is not exactly what a crime victim has in mind when they think about being rescued. Unfortunately, interrupting a robbery in progress isn’t part of anyone’s playbook. Even if police are doing everything right, victims shouldn’t expect help; all they can do is comply until the perp exits.

All this bears on the calculus regarding apps and widgets (i.e., silent alarms and panic buttons). Sounding the alarm may be perceived by the robber (if they notice) as resistance, which is correlated with violent outcomes. This is why most workplace-safety guidelines say something along the lines of, “Activate silent alarms only if you can do so without the robber’s knowledge.” But the robbery is going to unfold the same way whether the cops are on their way or not. From the employee’s point of view, hitting the panic button is all risk and no reward: It can’t help; it can only hurt.

A timely alarm does make it more likely the suspect will be caught, which is a benefit to society at large. But in terms of one’s narrow self-interest in not getting shot, it’s not worth it. To paraphrase another sign, I can only solve one crime per day. Today isn’t your day. Tomorrow isn’t looking good either.

Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com.