We are proud to announce that Greg Rash, ceo and locksmith of our company has recently passed his recertification courses for the X-09 as well as the Fire & Life safety codes.

Greg flew down to California where on October 4th, 2011,  he took  and successful completed the Kaba X-09 Certification, Installation and Operation course. This was a chance to freshen up his education and allows us to continue to do provide the highest quality of service when working with various government agencies.

Greg also took the Fire & Life Safety Code class on October 6th, 2011, allowing him to continue to maintain his knowledge to help make sure our commercial clients are more aware of how the laws affect their businesses; so they will know if they are in compliance and what can interfere with fire & life safety codes.

We are proud to continue to keep ourselves educated in our trade, to assure our customers that we are staying up with the latest information and technologies available.

Have a shed that you need to put a lock on but don’t want to use a different key? Why not consider an Abus rekeyable padlock? The nice thing about Abus rekeyable padlocks is that you can get one with a cylinder that will allow you to key it that same as your house key; allowing you to reduce the number of keys you carry. They are cost effective and if you need to rekey your home, you can have the padlock rekeyed as well.

Abus rekeyable padlocks come in a variety of sizes; the next time you need to get a new padlock, why not consider the Abus 83/45 rekeyable padlock?

One of the questions that often comes up is about making a spare key for a vehicle that uses a transponder in order to hide it on your car when you lock yourself out. While nobody wants to lock themselves out of the vehicle, what you DO NOT want to do is make a duplicate transponder key to hide outside the vehicle. What you CAN do is have a mechanical key made to use as your hide-a-key.

The reason for this is simple: If you lock your keys in your car, you can use the ‘mechanical’ or ‘non-transponder’ key to open the door and retrieve them. If someone else finds that key, they can open the door, but they can’t drive away with the car. While this doesn’t prevent someone from getting into your car, it does stop them from taking it.

Where do you hide your key? Anywhere that you won’t forget where it is. Place it somewhere that you will remember and that you haven’t seen “on t.v.” – the places where most people will look for it first. If it takes a while for someone to try and find your key, they will move on. If they really want in, they won’t look for your key in the first place.

Recently, we received a request from an individual who lives in a state on the East coast asking for our help to resolve a matter.

The question;  Can I take this Brand-Y lock and have the same key work this Brand-X lock?

Of course, with this question there are no simply “yes or no” answers especially when we are not being provided the information necessary to answer the question. Without all the facts, the answer is a maybe. Maybe if the locks have cylinders that can be replaced with an after market product, it is possible.

However no locksmith can give a definitive answer to a generic questions when they don’t have all the facts; “this product is an old Brand-X lock and I bought new Brand-Y locks and I want them to fit the same key, can it be done?”

Well, since Brand-X is an old lock – then what type is it? What style is it? How old is it? Can you send photos or bring it in so we can identify it and let you know for sure? When we receive only half the information needed;  ‘well Brand-Y is a series 5000 that I bought directly from the factory.’

The only answer we can give is based on the limited information that we have been supplied. Without seeing a product and/or having it in our hands we can not determine if a solution is viable and can only go based on what we have been told.

In this case, that particular series was not created to accept an aftermarket cylinder and these two locks can not be keyed to work on one key. ‘Can it be done the other way?’ Again, we need more information on Brand-X lock.

Locksmiths are often asked to solve problems without knowing all the facts. We rely on the customer to not only tell us what they want, but to provide us with as much information as possible on what they have so we can give an informed response. This is decidedly harder when you add in distance along with lack of information. (In this case we directed the individual to a locksmith company who has a good reputation, specialized in both types of locks and who has been in business for years with a physical location. As well as the phone numbers to the company that made the locks.)

Knowledgeable locksmiths know what can and can’t be done. Sometimes it is based on the type of lock, knowing that this particular model was not made to interact with any other aftermarket product and/or is not modifiable to do what the customer wants done. The majority of locksmiths are in the security business and want to make sure that their customers are being taken care of. We do the best with the information we receive.

So what happens if you find a locksmith that can’t help you? You can always seek out the manufacturer of the lock (if they are still in business) or you can seek out another locksmith. See if you can find one who specializes in the type of locks that you have. Accept the fact that locksmiths are trained to do their job and just because you want something to work, doesn’t mean it will. Be prepared to provide as much information about the type of locks you have or to provide a photo of the locks (front and back) to show your locksmith. This will allow them to let you know what your options are.

If you still don’t like the answers you receive, then seek out a second opinion or as many as you need to make you feel certain; just remember if all the answers are the same, it just might not be possible to do what you want done and instead you may have to seek alternate options; such as changing out one of the brands of lock to be the same as the one you want to use; so they are all the same brand, using the same key way, so you can have one key fit everything.

A lot of people have ‘services’ come to help them out in their home; house cleaners, dog sitters, etc., and often times in the hope of being more convenient, they give out a key to these service people. So how do you keep your home secure when you are giving out keys to people who aren’t suppose to be there all the time?

Here are a couple of options:

1.) The most cost effective method is to have a keyed doorknob and a deadbolt. Key the doorknob to a separate key that you give out to service people. When they aren’t scheduled to be there you lock your deadbolt. In order to lock a deadbolt, you must have a key. This way, if your service is scheduled on a Tuesday, you leave the deadbolt undone on that day. Only have one doorknob keyed this way, that way if you ever change services it is less expensive to have that one door re-keyed than to have a multitude of locks changed.

2.) Another option is to have a combination/push button deadbolt or knobset. These allow you to set up multiple user codes; with a key over-ride. So you never have to give out a key and if you change services, you simple change the code. Of course, if you have a keyed knobset and/or deadbolt you can again lock it when no one is suppose to be in your home whom you don’t want there.

As always, make sure you research your choices. Understand the quality of the product you are getting. There are companies out there, who have been around for years, who live on their ‘name brand’ but have unfortunately let the quality of their products drop. The best, well known brand name might not have the quality you are looking for.

When it comes to quality door hardware, your locksmith is usually the best place to go for advice. We deal with all different types of door hardware and can give you both the pros and the cons to a product, so you can make an informed decision. Remember, a good locksmith is one who is concerned with your home/office security.

As discussed in my previous article, there have been numerous lists over the years of how to go about making your home less ‘attractive’ to criminals. Often times you can contact your local law enforcement agency and/or locksmith and they will do a free walk through to help you figure out how to make your home more secure.

Here are some ways you can do it yourself;

View your home through the eye of someone looking to break in. What would YOU look for? These are the same things that others look for.

1.) Is your home lite up at night? Are all the light bulbs outside working? If not replace them as soon as you notice they aren’t. Consider adding motion detector lights; just remember these will also pick up small animal movements as well.

2.) Is the area beneath your windows clear? Are there places that someone can hide and/or be hidden from view? Clear these out so that these areas are visible.

3.) Do you have locks on your windows and do you use them? When you open your windows, do you remember to close them and secure them? If you want to leave your windows slightly open, then consider getting a lock to put on the window to only allow it to be opened  a certain amount. Remember if you aren’t there, you don’t want anyone reaching their arms through the window to grab anything.

4.) Do you have sliding glass doors? Do they have locks on them? Unless this is a daily entrance, then have a charlie bar or some other type of locking mechanism that will not allow entrance when you are not there or have locked up for the night beyond your keyed lock (if you have one at all).

5.) There is a statistic out there that states that 80% of the time when someone breaks into your home and robs you, it is someone you know. So you aren’t just protecting yourself from some unknown person. Don’t show your friends where you keep the spare key; unless you trust them with your things and your life.

6.) Don’t keep a spare key in an easy to spot location; we all know them as we see them in the movies! (a) above the door (b) under the mat (c) in the planter next to the door. Just think about where you have seen them put in the movies and don’t put them there. The less obvious, the better to find.

7.) Keep the spare where you will remember it. This is one of the biggest problems we come across. “I’ve hidden my key and don’t remember where I put it.”

8.) Don’t give your key out to ALL your neighbors. You don’t know where they will keep it for “safe” keeping and who will have access to it. If you do give it to your neighbor, make sure that they don’t put YOUR address on the key. If you have a key tag mark it with something you know that identifies what it goes to without advertising it to everyone else.

9.) The more urban the area, the more likely you are to need a home security system. If you live in the city, and can afford it, you should invest in a security system. The bigger the city, the more its worth investing. Even in more rural locations, more people are adding these in.

10.) Deadbolts. Make sure you have deadbolts on all your doors where possible. If you have glass on the door, make sure you use double cylinder deadbolts. Never leave the key in the lock when you are leaving on vacation.

There are two lines of thought on double cylinder deadbolts (these are locks that require a key on both sides.) The first is that they are a safety hazard. If there is a fire or emergency and you don’t have the key you will be locked in your home. The second is that insurance agents want you to have them as they protect your home. If your house gets broken into, and they can reach in and turn the lock it makes it quicker and less noisy for the person breaking in.

Weigh both these things when making a decision regarding your home and your safety. You have to know where the key is as you don’t want to leave it in the door while you are sleeping unless you are a light sleeper and will hear the glass break. You don’t want to leave it within arms reach of someone who may break the glass. You do want it where you can get to it if you need to leave your house quickly for any reason. Consider your ‘escape’ options. Are there other doors that you can go out, etc.

As always research other articles regarding home safety so you can make an educated decision about your home and your security.

There has been a lot of concern lately, with another mass circulation of emails,  regarding “bumping locks”. Everyone has a right to be concerned about this. However, here are a few things you should also know;

1.) The videos, articles and other internet “informational” media that is out there is not helping anyone to feel secure; bumping has been around in the locksmith industry for years. It is only recently, with the help of the internet highway and some mainstream media articles, that it has made its way into our homes making it a concern on many individuals minds.

This has caused three things to happen:

a.) People have become more worried about their security

b.) A lot of unsavory individuals are taking this ‘knowledge’ and attempting to use it for their benefit. It doesn’t help that people who “claim” to be locksmith’s are out there making videos and showing ‘anyone’ how it can be done. On a personal note: that is not a locksmith I would want working on my home, what other ‘secrets’ are they sharing and with whom?

c.) The process of bumping  is not as simple and clean cut as it appears to be, even with the ‘special’ keys they are selling on the internet.

2.) Any honest locksmith is NOT going to go out and show people how to ‘break into’ someone’s home. That is NOT what our industry is about. Many of us work with law enforcement on a regular basis. Our industry is about helping individuals and companies to secure their property and person’s to the best of our abilities. We do not go out and do anything that is going to promote criminal activities. Any person who claims they are a locksmith and giving out “locksmith secrets” are not what they claim. Why would we want to be counterproductive?

3.) If you are worried about your home and want it to be ‘bump proof’; then first you need to prepare yourself  that there will be a financial investment required. Sometimes this requires replacing your locks. Remember, not all door hardware is the same; just because something says it is ‘bump proof’ doesn’t mean that is necessarily true.

4.) Do your research into what is available. As always, we suggest going to a reputable locksmith in your area and finding out what your options are and if it is even a viable need in your community. Some communities really don’t need to go that ‘extra mile’. However, if YOU feel for your own peace of mind you do, then by all means do it.

5.) Bumping requires a specific type of key. Your first step could be to simply replace the cylinder with a key way that is not readily available to the public and is a signature system. Most locksmith companies, if not all, have these systems. A couple of the best known and  highest security options are MEDECO & Bi-lock. These systems require signatures and keys are cut and mailed from the factories. There are other systems that are also signature systems, but the locksmith can cut them in their shop, making them more readily available to the customer. Again, speak to your local locksmith to find out what your options are.

6.) Remember that criminals look for “easy access” as to go un-noticed. So by making your home less ‘burglar’ friendly, you may already have replaced the concern for someone ‘bumping’ your lock to get in. For example: bumping a lock is a noisy process and likely to draw attention.  Note: There have been many articles out over the years regarding this, however, I will post a helpful list in my next article.

We all want and need to feel safe in our homes, so we do the best we can. While, in reality, there is no 100% way of doing this; as we have learned from the media, when there is someone who wants to do it they will. What we CAN do is everything in our power to assure that we feel safe. That we know how to make our home less appealing to the common criminal.

If you have questions regarding this article, please email us and we will do our best to answer your question or point you in the right direction.

In Washington state, there have been attempts to create a law that will negatively impact honest locksmiths while not safeguarding from fly by night companies. Fortunately, this has not going through, but it is not the end of it. Locksmiths in Washington state need to continue to keep our eyes and ears open for more information about this in the future.

The following is the last update that we had. While, again, it has been postponed for the time being, we believe that knowledge is important.

————— January 11, 2011  SB5177 Locksmith Licensing UPDATE—————

Licensing Opposers:

There has been a lot happening today on SB 5177 (Senate Bill on locksmith licensing).

Jeff Trinin & Todd Sherman testified on the bill this morning –see the TVW link below & go to about 46 minutes, it’s good for a laugh. Sen. Conway (Vice Chair) pointed out that DOL hasn’t had out reach to locksmiths or the Trade Asc (NWLA).

I have a meeting with Sen Carrell (sponsor) next week and Patrick from the NFIB is trying to get one with Sen. Kohl-Wells (Committee Chair). There are a few other locksmiths that will also attend.

Our focus should be on contact with the Committee (Sen Labor) members. The points to make with them or their Legislative Aids (LA) is to take no action on the bill & let it die, be clear you oppose the bill and maybe something about how it might affect you. Watch the TVW video to see what the committee seems concerned with and point out the bill will not solve it, existing consumer protection by the AG should be enforced. Also that there is no way to control locksmith knowledge in today’s world with the internet etc. that it’s now public domain. With the show of some opposition to the committee, it might scare them off from action. The leg likes to see support for licensing and if there is much opposition show they will shy away from it.

If you email me with a quick note of what your contact was & who, I’ll take it with me next week when I attend the NFIB small biz day. It will be more I can show the Sen’s that there is opposition by the industry.

I reviewed the bill and found that they re-worked the Security Guard and various other licensing laws to fit us in. The bill seems based on the bill last year, but some exceptions.

No longer is there a  board of various people to set qualifications, create or select tests, administer the tests, create disciplinary proceedures etc. All of that is given to the Director of DOL (Dept of Licensing).

Criminal background isn’t limited to 10 years and it’s the Director’s discretion if the crime precludes licensing.

The written exam is still in, now it is to be developed, maintained and administerd by the department,  the Director (should it be dictator?) may choose to use an examination prepared by a national entity. Why National? Why not NWLA’s if we have one?

Renewal is yearly instead of 5 years

DOL (Dept of Licensing) Director shall establish the rules for suspension or revoking a license and setting qualifications to be a locksmith

Lock is defined to include CCTV, Card readers, Keypads, Bio scanners, etc. so we might be able to install this low voltage stuff with the law? Interesting.

EXEMPTIONS STILL IN PLACE:

Sales Rep

Hardware store employee rekeying new locks (don’t some of those places rekey old ones you take in too?)

Key duplicating employees

Property owner

Bank employees

Auto Service dealer

Carpenters installing hardware

Tow Truckers

Some of these people are the cause of some of the worst problems.

I don’t think the License # in Ads is in here and it doesn’t seem to address the scammer issue.

Committee Contacts:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/LCCP/Pages/MembersStaff.aspx

Bill details:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2011&bill=5177

Committee Hearing This Morning –Go to about 46 minutes, Jeff Trinin & Todd Sherman testify. It’s good for a laugh actually.

http://www.tvw.org/media/mediaplayer.cfm?evid=2011011135&TYPE=V&CFID=2013554&CFTOKEN=16594841&bhcp=1

Thanks

Larry Nicholas, CPL.

President

Accurate Lock & Security

Bellingham

360-733-2020

NWLA Legislative Director

We live and work in a small community, and one of the things we have done a lot of this past year are bank repossessions on homes. Here is what you need to know if you are thinking about purchasing a bank repo:

1. Some companies only have one lock on the house re-keyed when they take possession of the house. (Interestingly enough this is not the case with commercial repo’s.) What this means is that a lot of times the previous owners can go back into the house (and often do). Worst case scenarios: one angry owner went back into “their” house and took all the fixtures out.

2.) Some companies will pay to have all the locks re-keyed and the damaged doors fixed. Unfortunately finding out which companies do this, can take a bit of hunting. Either way, it is always wise to rekey the home after you purchase it.

3.) This is the worst of the lot – and has become a more recent occurrence: One lock is replaced with a digital lock and the rest of the locks are glued shut. Who ever came up with this BRILLIANT idea should be … well, I will let you come to your own conclusion. Not only does this mean that the realtor and/or buyer have one entrance into the home. If you don’t get the code or the instructions to change the code, then anyone who has the code can get into the house. Second, ALL of the other locks HAVE to be replaced. They cannot be rekeyed. This can become very costly to the new owner to have to do.

So, before you purchase that exceptional repo, find out how they have handled the locks. Take the time to take the key and put it into each lock, if it doesn’t slide in then there is a problem with the lock. They key might not work the lock, if the house has multiple keys to the locks, but it should slide in all the way. (Make sure it is the right type of key, some keys have different brand locks on the doors as the owner and/or someone else may have replaced them at different times and didn’t want to invest to keep the same type of key way.)

A lot of people are surprised to hear that the locksmith business is seasonal. We have our busier months (summer/holidays) as people tend to be “busier” and don’t pay as much attention to ‘what they did with the keys’.

However, the other thing that can slow down business is: snow. That’s right, snow. As most locksmith’s don’t have four wheel drive vehicles. Not to mention that the cost if someone who out driving in the snow, and they don’t know how to do it, t-bone your locksmith vehicle.

Unfortunately, depending on where you live, not every one knows how to drive in the rain, not to mention snow. In our area, we have already had three major accidents at intersections, and this the first day of snow. We get more rain in our area, than snow. Today it is spiraling down, tomorrow it may be sunny and the next day we may have rain.