From Butch Cassidy to Bonnie and Clyde, bank robbers have always had a pop culture mystique. But bank robberies are no Hollywood storyline for bank employees and customers, whose safety and even lives are put at risk when a robber holds up a bank branch.

But before the advent of the FBI and robust state police forces, bank robberies were often left to sometimes poorly equipped local law enforcement. In Indiana in the 1920s, bankers took the protection of their banks into their own hands. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by IntraFi Network — the Indiana Bankers Association’s Josh Myers discusses:

• The challenge robberies posed to banks in the 1920s.
• How the IBA provided weapons to bank employees, plus training in how to use them safely.
• The partnership the “Indiana vigilantes” and law enforcement.
• Stories and anecdotes from this unusual chapter in banking history.