Should I get licensed

[bobtheman]

I am majoring in info sec, information assurance, hope to be a pentester. I've been playing with lock picking because it's related and fun. There are lock picking events at all of our conferences.

Anywho, I've gotten into the situation where people are requesting me to do physical security assessments. I live in nc. So, technically I'm not offering lock picking services, and when any agreements are signed and I'm hired I'm acting as an employee for that business .. I hope (this is related due to nc law and lock picking exceptions)

My question is, should I get licensed with no intentions of being a traditional locksmith to avoid any legal concerns? I'm very interested in volunteering my time to learn from a local lock Smith, mentorship if you will.

Thoughts?

[Anarchy_won]

I would if I was you (depending of the cost of the license) that way if anything ever happened you would be covered. IDK about in the US but in Canada there is some provinces where just having the tools on your person can get you charged if you don't have a license. that's my 2 cents.
I will let someone more in the know for your state to chime in.

[Josephus]

Are you really finding side work so easily? I just finished a Computer Networking and Information Security degree and am now working on a degree in network design (oh so fancy). Few people seem to care about physical security as long as the locks are still working and their contractor/locksmith says it is good enough. Seems like physical security analysis is a hard sell around here. I am seen as a bit of a curiosity, someone that has a big bag of tricks that is fun to talk to but there isn't much demand for what I have.

Where are you going to school? East, A&T, State or Charlotte? Some CAE schools are better to go to for a masters than a bachelors. That is my long term plan and don't want to hulk out and get only IA degrees.

[bobtheman]

I wouldnt say easily, i've talked with three paying companies and two that didn't pay that I offered to help probono for experience. With enough advice (which I charge for), most business owners want to take at least some action to better secure their location.

Honestly im not interested in actually preforming the actual locksmithing work. I have interest in physical security, breaking in, picking locks etc. But after its over and they get a report or breakdown If they want to change locks or whatever I usually sub a professional. I wouldnt want myself installing locks on my own house lol

[ForSquirel]

First off, I'm not a lawyer.

That being said, It all comes down to interpretation of the law. Considering that you are picking locks, even in a security standpoint, I would probably have a license in NC just as a CYA application.

Read the statute and go from there.

http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/statutes/statutelookup.pl?statute=74F

[jones]

I'm not a lawyer either, but in reading the statute it is easy to see that you can be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor for your first offense. If You have a clean record, once charged you will get at most a year or so of probation. So based upon that I would get the license After you get caught by the state, as they are basically giving you a free one the first time, anyhow.
IDK what the company buildings look like where You are based, here in arizona anyone with a readily available rock can gain entry into any of the many windows available on every building out here. I find it depressing at best, that often times installing high security locks are a waste of time & money, when the perp will simply smash the window to gain entry. In fact many times in the past I discovered that someone was picking open a company's locks, suggested and then installed Medeco or Assa locks and then found out the window(s) were later smashed out, to illegally gain entry. Like I said it doesn't make me feel like a mighty locksmith when that happens.

[ForSquirel]

I'm not a lawyer either, but in reading the statute it is easy to see that you can be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor for your first offense. If You have a clean record, once charged you will get at most a year or so of probation. So based upon that I would get the license After you get caught by the state, as they are basically giving you a free one the first time, anyhow.

OK, and then what do you do when you can't pass a background check to get a locksmith license because you got caught pretending to be a locksmith.

It's a hard question to answer, but if you're even remotely considering having to pick a lock for a job where you don't get an exemption, then suck it up, take the test, spend the money and get licensed. It's like they say, "It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

[Anarchy_won]

I'm not a lawyer either, but in reading the statute it is easy to see that you can be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor for your first offense. If You have a clean record, once charged you will get at most a year or so of probation. So based upon that I would get the license After you get caught by the state, as they are basically giving you a free one the first time, anyhow.

OK, and then what do you do when you can't pass a background check to get a locksmith license because you got caught pretending to be a locksmith.

It's a hard question to answer, but if you're even remotely considering having to pick a lock for a job where you don't get an exemption, then suck it up, take the test, spend the money and get licensed. It's like they say, "It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

This is where I was coming from. If I was hiring someone to do a audit of one on my sites, the second I seen the arrest during the background check you better believe you would be out on your ass.
If this is really what you want to do with your life, do not try to skirt around the law. to be honest with a attitude like this I would not even hire you to empty trash cans at any of my sites.
and I mean no disrespect to you in saying this. think of it as free job advice.
its people trying to do things on the cheep / easy that make everyone in the Security Industry look bad take it form someone with close to 15 years in the Industry and I have done everything from close protection to Security Audits to Event planning.

FFS you want to be a Security Professional start thinking and acting like one.