Why I’m Going to Washington to Talk About ATM Crime

If you drove across America attacking ATMs, you’d cross 44 states without ever violating an ATM-specific felony law.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Only six states – Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin – have laws that specifically make attacking, damaging, or stealing from an ATM a distinct felony offense.

That's it. Just six states.

Organized ATM crime doesn't respect state borders.

Criminals don't check a map before deciding where to steal an ATM, use explosives, install malware, or target a cash loader. They operate across multiple states, often as organized crime rings, while the laws designed to prosecute those crimes vary dramatically depending on where the ATM happens to be sitting.

That's one of the reasons I'll be in Washington, D.C., next week with the National ATM Council (NAC), meeting with members of Congress to advocate for the Safe Access to Cash Act.

Why This Bill Matters

This isn't about harsher penalties. It's about recognizing that the way Americans access cash has changed.

When Congress passed the Federal Bank Robbery Act in 1934, ATMs didn't exist. America was in the middle of a wave of violent bank robberies carried out by notorious criminals like Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, "Pretty Boy" Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson. Criminals routinely crossed state lines, while local law enforcement often lacked the jurisdiction to pursue them.

Congress responded by making bank robbery a federal crime, giving federal investigators the authority to pursue organized criminals across state lines. It became one of the most effective crime-fighting laws in American history.

Ninety years later, ATM crime presents a remarkably similar challenge.

Millions of Americans now access cash at ATMs located in convenience stores, grocery stores, hotels, casinos, airports, truck stops, shopping centers, and stand-alone drive-up locations – not just at bank branches. At the same time, thousands of branches have closed over the past decade, making off-premise ATMs more important than ever.

Yet federal law hasn't fully kept pace. 

Today, an ATM attacked on bank property may trigger federal jurisdiction, while an identical attack on an ATM located across the street at a convenience store is often handled under state law. The Safe Access to Cash Act helps close that gap.

As Sen. Ted Cruz said while introducing the legislation: “Current law fails to adequately protect off-premises ATMs, leaving a loophole that criminals exploit. The Safe Access to Cash Act closes that loophole.”

What the Safe Access to Cash Act Would Do

The Safe Access to Cash Act closes that gap by extending federal criminal protections to every ATM – regardless of location or ownership.

It would make it a federal crime to damage, destroy, burglarize, rob, or steal from an ATM. It would also establish federal penalties for robbing someone who is using, servicing, repairing, or loading cash into an ATM.

The legislation further strengthens penalties for assaults, kidnappings, and murders committed during ATM crimes and criminalizes knowingly possessing money or property obtained through those crimes. 

A criminal shouldn't face different consequences simply because the ATM they targeted happened to be outside a bank branch instead of inside one.

A Bipartisan Issue

One thing I appreciate about this legislation is that protecting access to cash isn't being treated as a Republican issue or a Democratic issue.

The Senate bill is sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona), with additional support from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee). It recently passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously, an important milestone as it advances to the full Senate.

The House companion bill is sponsored by Rep. John W. Rose (R-Tennessee) and Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Maryland). Current House cosponsors include Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wisconsin), Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pennsylvania), Rep. Julia Brownley (D-California), Rep. Bill Foster (D-Illinois), Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tennessee), and Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tennessee). 

That's what bipartisan legislation should look like. Organized ATM crime doesn't care whether a state is red or blue – and neither should protecting Americans' access to cash.

This Has Been Years in the Making

This legislation didn't appear overnight. For years, NAC, ATMIA, the American Bankers Association, financial institutions, independent ATM operators, retailers, manufacturers, and other industry partners have worked together to educate lawmakers about a simple reality:

Cash is essential – millions of Americans depend on it every day. The ATMs that provide that access are part of our nation's critical financial infrastructure.

As bank branches continue to close and more consumers rely on off-premise ATMs, the laws protecting those machines should reflect today's world – not 1934.

Why It Matters Beyond the ATM Industry

It's easy to think this is only about ATM operators.

It isn't.

When an ATM is destroyed or stolen...

A community loses access to cash.

A retailer loses customers and sales.

A financial institution loses an important customer touchpoint.

Service technicians and cash loaders face greater safety risks.

Consumers may have to drive miles farther to access their own money.

Protecting ATMs ultimately means protecting the people, businesses, and communities that depend on them.

Why I'm Going

I've spent more than two decades working across nearly every part of the cash-access ecosystem – from credit unions to independent ATM deployers, manufacturers, processors, retailers, SaaS companies, and the vendors who keep ATMs running, connected, repaired, and secure.

I've seen firsthand how important reliable access to cash remains—especially in rural communities, underserved neighborhoods, and during emergencies when electronic payments aren't always available.

That's why I'll be spending time on Capitol Hill next week.

Not because this is an ATM issue.

Because it's an access to cash issue.

And because organized crime doesn't recognize state borders...

Even if our laws still do.

Alicia is a strategic communications and partner marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations build partnerships, launch products, navigate change, and tell stories that build trust. She has worked across advocacy, financial services, technology, and B2B marketing, bringing a relationship-first approach to every organization she serves.

📩 Schedule your consultation alicia@blandamarketing.com