LA Councilman Proposes ATM Duress Code

Los Angeles (myFOXla.com) - A Los Angeles city councilman wants the city to consider adding a security feature that would let customers type a "duress code" into ATM machines when they're being forced to withdraw cash.

Councilman Greig Smith made the proposal Tuesday in response to the killing of 17-year-old Lily Burk who was kidnapped while running an errand for her mother. Police said a parolee slashed the teenager's throat after she made several unsuccessful attempts to withdraw cash with her credit card.

Smith says technology is available to let bank customers type their personal ID number in reverse order to secretly alert police that they're being robbed. He introduced a motion asking police and the city lawyers to assess the feasibility of implementing the system.