REGION'S TOTAL LOWEST IN 20 YEARS; DROP IN BANK HEISTS LINKED TO SHOOTOUT.

Byline: Peter Hartlaub Daily News Staff Writer

Despite the bloody North Hollywood bank robbery that took place last year, the FBI said Monday that bank heists across seven counties fell to a 20-year low in 1997 - a 72 percent decline since 1992.

Yet Los Angeles police say it was the same heist that left two gunmen dead on North Hollywood's streets that might have helped drive down the number of robberies.

``Perhaps that was an eye-opener for the criminal element,'' said Los Angeles police spokesman Lt. Anthony Alba.

FBI officials said increased security at banks and stiffer federal sentencing guidelines contributed to the decline.

Regardless of this sharp decrease, Los Angeles and six surrounding counties together have retained their dubious honor as the nation's bank-robbery capital, easily beating San Francisco and New York.

In 1997 there were 749 bank robberies in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, according to new figures from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Los Angeles office.

The bank robbery zenith for the district was in 1992 when there were 2,641. The district had 1,126 bank robberies in 1996.

Fewer robberies, more violence

The downward trend has been even steeper in the San Fernando Valley, where the number of heists plummeted 77 percent from 1992 to 1997. In 1997, 88 Valley banks were robbed, compared to 381 in 1992 and 180 in 1996, according to FBI figures.

The bad news is that in the Los Angeles district the frequency of so-called takeover bank robberies has increased over the past two years - and with it the number of people killed.

And more robbers have been involved in violent behavior such as firing shots into the ceiling and roughing up customers and employees inside Los Angeles-area banks, said FBI spokesman John Hoos.

``We're seeing more physical and verbal violence inside the banks,'' Hoos said.

Six people died during robberies in 1997, as compared to none in 1996.

Four of those deaths came during high-profile bank robberies in the Valley and in Thousand Oaks.

In February, two body armor-clad suspects died in the North Hollywood robbery, after engaging in a moving gunbattle with police. In October, one suspect was killed when five men tried to rob a Van Nuys bank, but were stopped by a retired police officer and sheriff's deputy working as security guards.

Also killed during holdups in 1997 were one bank customer and two employees, including Monica Leech, a teller at a Thousand Oaks bank who was shot in the back of the head during a takeover bank robbery in April.

A group effort

Altogether there was a small rise of takeover bank robberies in the Los Angeles district, from 222 to 233. But in the Valley the number declined by more than 50 percent.

Hoos said customers and employees can take steps to reduce the chances of violence during a bank holdup.

``Do exactly what you're told,'' he said. ``Don't try to be a hero.''

There is no single reason for the decline in bank robberies, Hoos said. But FBI investigators attribute at least part of the drop to their teaming up with local law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department. ``That relationship has grown over the years,'' Hoos said.

Hoos also said safety-conscious banks and persistent federal prosecutors have contributed to the dropping numbers.

Since the frequency of bank robberies peaked in 1991 and 1992, banks worked to protect themselves, said Wells Fargo spokeswoman Kathleen Shilkret.

``Banks decided to be aggressive about trying to counteract this,'' Shilkret said. ``Previously banks had become uncomfortable about talking about bank robberies, not wanting to scare customers.''

Shilkret said several of Wells Fargo's 44 banks in the city have ``mantraps'' and ``bandit barriers,'' devices that use bullet-resistant glass and plastic to stop robbers.

Shilkret said the majority of bank robbers are ``note passers,'' who don't always think rationally and probably wouldn't be dissuaded by the North Hollywood shootout.

Still No. 1

Hoos credited stiffer federal sentencing guidelines, which guarantee robbers from 10 years to 20 years in federal prison.

``It's not like walking into a local convenience store or a 7-Eleven,'' Hoos said. ``You're not going to get a few years. You're going to get hard time.''

The figures are the lowest in decades, but Los Angeles is in no danger of relinquishing its moniker as bank robbery capital of the world.

San Francisco and New York are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, with just 468 and 286 robberies in 1997.

The last time there were fewer Los Angeles district bank robberies was in 1976, when the FBI reported 714. Hoos said the crime started a steep upward swing in the early 1980s, when gang members ``graduated to banks.''

Timothy McNally, FBI assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles Field Office, said the department is encouraged, but not satisfied, with the 1997 numbers.

``FBI and local law enforcement are still not ready to claim victory,'' McNally said. ``There is a lot of work ahead of them to bring this problem under control.''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, chart

PHOTO (1) An federal arrest warrant was issued last June for Jovan Woodard, suspected of robbing eight San Fernando Valley banks over a four-month period in 1997. Woodard is also suspected in a Rosemead robbery. He is described as a 20-year-old black man, 5-foot-7, 150 pounds.

(2) This man is suspected of robbing seven banks in seven different areas of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys since last February. The FBI says he steals a car from the service area of a car dealership, asks a bank teller to give him $50 and $100 dollar bills, then abandons the car nearby. He is described as a Hispanic or Middle Eastern man in his mid-to-late 30s, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10, 180 pounds with dark hair, dark eyes and acne-scarred skin.

(3) The ``Pepperspray Bandit'' is suspected of being involved in four bank robberies in the San Fernando Valley - all in the last two weeks. The FBI suspects he robbed two banks in Sherman Oaks, one in Canoga Park and one in Woodland Hills.

CHART: BANK ROBBERIES