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Two congressmen say robbing ATMs should be treated the same as robbing a bank. In many cases, it's not.
WASHINGTON — The grieving family of a Maryland man shot and killed during an ATM robbery two years ago wants the FBI to help solve the case, the same way agents do for bank robberies.
But federal agents will not get involved because independent ATMs are not protected by federal law the same way banks are. Two congressmen from opposite sides of the aisle say that doesn't make sense and they aim to fix it by making robberies targeting any ATM a federal crime.
Kenneth Gerstley was murdered in January 2021 while servicing one of the ATMs his family-owned company provided to a store in Baltimore. On Thursday, his family took their quest for justice to the U.S. Capitol.
"We're just looking for protections for the patrons as well as the convenience store owners and the ATM operators," said Gersteley's sister-in-law Amy Blank.
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) is co-sponsoring federal legislation called the Safe Access to Cash Act. Ivey pointed out that many non-bank ATMs are in convenience stores, gas stations and groceries in underserved communities that don't have bank services.
Yet, the independent ATMs don't get the same protection from federal law. Ivey said that makes ATM locations in underserved communities "soft targets" for criminals.
The Safe Access to Cash Act would make robberies targeting any ATM or its customers a federal crime the same as robbing a bank.
"I think there's millions of Americans using ATMS and they should not have to try and figure out if they would be more protected at a bank rather than the local convenience store," Ivey said.
Rep. John Rose (R-TN) co-sponsored the bill, making the Safe Access to Cash Act an increasingly rare example of members from opposite parties cooperating in a sharply divided Congress. Both leaders said keeping people safe should not be a partisan issue.
The Gerstley family says that without the involvement of federal investigators, the investigation into Kenneth's murder has stalled.
An $88,000 reward is being offered for information in the case.
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