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Q ''Bandits'' robbers Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis force bankers to turn window shades to give cops the ''all clear.'' Do banks have such signals?

A Yep. The ever-changing signals, which can be as simple as turning on a lamp, are standard, says Art Kniffen of Southern Commercial Bank in St. Louis. The first employee to arrive activates the signal; if there's a problem, law enforcement investigates, says FBI rep Gary Johnson. But can crooks outwit the system as in the movie? Banks plan for many contingencies. ''You've got all sorts of signals and counter-signals,'' Kniffen says, ''whatever you can do to foil the bad guys.'' And smoke out the bandits.

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Posted Oct 19, 2001 | Published in issue #621 Oct 19, 2001 | Order Article Reprints