Hello From Hollywood

[SpaffyPD]

Hello everyone,

I have been very impressed with this site as well as many of its members youtube channels. I am someone who is not a professional locksmith nor am not an experienced hobbyist. I am; however, someone who has a legal right to gain entry into locations where picking locks may be the only viable option.

I work for an official agency where I respond to calls generated from alarm companies, ADT, Brinks, ETC, including panic alarms and calls from individuals to 911. My agency does not generally authorize destructive entry to make sure everything is in order because we receive so many false alarms. So if I get to a location and all doors are locked and from what I can tell from the exterior everything seems to be in order, I assume that everything is in order even if it is not. A Catch-22 scenario. 999/1000 times everything will be in order, but what if it isn't?

I am here because I have started attempting to pick locks at such calls for service. I can regularly get into Kwikset locks [which I commonly refer to as not even locks] but everything else is still hit and miss. l am currently attempting to build my lock-picking tool set/ bump key/ practice lock/ etc kit as to be able to clear as many locations as I can, and I am open to any words of wisdom/ advise from the masters here as I can get.

If I can save one life or prevent one crime from occurring I will consider any amount I invest out of my own pocket to be worth it.

I hope you all are having a good night and wish everyone a safe holiday season!

-Art

[fat ed]

Welcome aboard

[Josh66]

I don't doubt your story, but does your boss know that you're picking locks when you go out on calls? I mean, if you broke a lock trying to pick it (unlikely, but it happens), you or your agency would be liable for that - and they may start asking what you were even doing picking the lock.

I don't think I would be doing that without permission... Permission from your boss, and from the client (that could be worked into their contract pretty easily, I'm sure).

[Aedalas]

calls from individuals to 911

Erm, wat? I know most alarm companies act as a middle man between the alarm and the police, basically the alarm calls the company who then calls you to confirm an emergency then call police, fire, ems or whatever, but I've never heard of non-official agencies responding to 911 calls. Sounds illegal and stupid really. Hoping that was just a bad description.

[MBI]

I work for an official agency ...
-Art

Cool. Which one?

[Aedalas]

calls from individuals to 911

Erm, wat? I know most alarm companies act as a middle man between the alarm and the police, basically the alarm calls the company who then calls you to confirm an emergency then call police, fire, ems or whatever, but I've never heard of non-official agencies responding to 911 calls. Sounds illegal and stupid really. Hoping that was just a bad description.

He does write that it is an official agentcy...

Welcome by the way.

He said plenty of things that would imply he's not law enforcement though. It sounds like he works for a private security company. If that is the case it may be written in the contract but I'd make damn sure of that beforehand. If it's law enforcement he should do some research too, that could very well be entering a property without permission or probable cause.

All apologies if I'm wrong btw, it just seems off is all. I'd feel better knowing what kind of agency you work for as this is potentially criminal. I'm not trying to imply you are doing anything wrong, just explaining why I think it's important you go into a little more detail about it.

[SpaffyPD]

I attempted to word my message very carefully. To those that can read between the lines; i applaud you. While I am impressed by the people on this site it is still an open online forum and an official agengy is as open as I will be. As to those questioning legality, i am well versed in the law, within in my jurisdiction.

[piotr]

I am; however, someone who has a legal right to gain entry into locations where picking locks may be the only viable option...
...I work for an official agency where I respond to calls generated from alarm companies...I am here because I have started attempting to pick locks at such calls for service.

Welcome to the forum.

What you are doing and trying to do doesn't appear legal (in any of the common law countries) unless you have the prior permission of the property owner. But where consent has been given by the homeowner why wouldn't they also give your agency a copy of the front door key?

Legality aside, this just seems entirely unorthodox. If I were the home owner I wouldn't want someone I don't know to enter my home when I wasn't there in order to ensure that an illegal entry hasn't occurred. Members of an official agency would be no more welcome than scabby meth-heads. I agree that a thorough external search of the most likely entry points would not be 100% reliable but looking inside the house isn't 100% reliable either: the burglar(s) can hide. The bigger the house the more easy it would be to hide.

Just my A$0.02 worth.

[MBI]

I appreciate everyone trying to weed out criminal elements from the forum.
He sent me a PM further explaining things.
At this point I think it's time to back of a little and give him a chance to fit in.

He hasn't reacted with hostility to the dogpiling, like a lot of folks would and he hasn't asked any questions to indicate he's trying to do anything illegal, other than being vague as to the nature of his employment and it's relation to lockpicking. Even with that, he's given more info about himself than most new members do.

***Edit: I hope no one is offended but to reduce the drama level a notch, I deleted a small number of posts from this thread. I tried to leave up anything that appeared to comment directly about, or pose a direct question to, the original poster. As opposed to just commenting on others comments.

[Aedalas]

I've spoken with Spaffy a bit as well and for what it's worth the guy is legit.

So yeah, sorry about all that man. Hopefully you don't hate us now.

[SpaffyPD]

I respect everyone's concerns about keeping people who shouldn't be opening locks off of this site and questioning the vagueness of my posts. They were designed to be vague. In fact I applaud people questioning that. Before I joined and got the response I did I questioned if everyone here was on the up and up. Remember as you don't know me, I don't know any of you.

I wish I could openly and proudly say where I work on an online forum, because I am very proud of it! I keep my online footprint small, I have no Facebook, No myspace, no Google+, etc. Everyone who has personally introduced themselves to me via PM has gotten a response and additional information.

There are more than one type of alarm call, and I agree not all calls require entry. To those saying why don't I have a contract with the alarm company and/or a keys to locations... There are approximately 4 million people in the City of Los Angeles. Its not even remotely feasible or I wouldn't be here.

[piotr]

My apologies SpaffyPD. It's just that we sometimes get some really suspect questions from people whose names are still orange (i.e. newly joined). Your post was, as you concede, vague and myself and others, I presume, took it at face value. Anyway I hope you find what you are looking for in the forum.

[dicey]

Welcome mate

[Alaphablue]

Welcome spaffy sounds like you need A bogota set some short hooks and bypass tools like a thin plastic wedge & home made popshovit set . They should get through most cheap residential or commercial locks.

[Oldfast]

Good to meet ya Art... I'm Mike. Happy you found this forum and I think you will be too.

I myself am just a run-of-the-mill hobbiest... lovin' what I love. However, there's people around here
that are well versed in true life lock-out scenarios, ferensics, etc. etc. I do believe you'll find some
VERY valuable info around here that's pertinent to your cause. I look foward to seein' more of ya.