Jonah Spangenthal-Lee has been writing a lot about the recent surge in reported robberies and burglaries in Seattle. Yesterday, Slog reader Brad Cerenzia sent in an email subject-lined "speaking of home burglaries":

On Saturday night my boyfriend, our friend and I foiled a robbery at the ATM on Madison where all the pre- and post-drunk bar hoppers go fill up on cash. I went to ATM 1 and two women went to ATM 2. They left ATM 2, I completed my transaction and walked back to join my friends. One of the ATMs was beeping—my boyfriend thought I left my card in the ATM, but it turned out to be ATM 2—but the women were already down the block. As my bf went to go grab them, we saw a man walk up to the machine and start taking out cash. LOTS. $400 of cash, it turns out. I immediately called 911 and let them know of the robbery. The women came back, confronted the robber, and he made a run for it. My friends went one way, and the women and I went the other way, both joining up cornering the man (and what turned out to be his counterpart) in the Cuff parking lot. We shouted "STOP! THIEF!" the whole way, and got the Cuff security people out there. Thanks to one VERY gigantic, mysterious Sister of Perpetual Indulgence, we were able to hold the man against a car until the police arrived and took him off to jail. The woman got her $400 back along with her stolen ATM card. There were also SEVERAL OTHER ATM cards in the man's pockets. Luckily the idiot took the receipts tying him to the ATM withdrawal robberies.

At the end of the night, we walked back over to the ATMs to see if people were still lurking around. And lo and behold ... there was the man's associate ... begging for change and waiting for someone else to leave their ATM card.

So here are a couple interesting questions:

• When you complete a transaction at a B of A ATM, the machine waits 30 seconds before asking, "Do you need more time?" We timed it and we were able to walk across the street in 30 seconds—you'd never hear it beep.
• Why the hell is the B of A parking lot such a dark, dismal pit of despair? Can't they get better lighting for the safety of the patrons?
• Where is B of A's security? Why do they let people panhandle right next to the ATMs?
• Who was that mysterious Sister of Perpetual Indulgence who saved the day?
• And how much do B of A's customers lose from that set of ATMs each weekend due to robbery from errant card abandonment?