Guys/gals,
After the drama the 8500GasTurbine just suffered thru with his trains being stolen, I figured I should share this link that a non-MRR friend of mine sent me yesterday. It’s about a new method that burglars use to gain access, called “lock bumping”. Made my skin crawl when I viewed it…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM
Guess I’ll need to upgrade my locks…
There is another method where you take a dental tool that is commonly availible, beef it with voltage to create a very hard vibration field and literally shake the lock down.
These types of presentations are going to create a large number of people experimenting with locks. I recall using positive throw deadbolts long ago that can never be “Bumped” like some of these locks are now. Maybe we will see these old style bolts back in service before too long.
But the one item that bothers me a little bit is the ability or skill of locksmiths to be called out to a car you own with no keys and in less than one hour have a complete set of valid working keys for the vehicle ready to go after you proved ownership and signed a waiver for damage.
Some cars today at the Auction House have extremely expensive systems where one “Lock out” can easily cost 500-1000 dollars just to get back into the vehicle to use it. It is rather annoying because computers on these cars sometimes remember to lock the doors behind you when you get out. Click! That’s that folks.
Lock bumping is not new, the technology has been known for 70 years. The ability to open locks this way has been known by locksmiths for years. They pretty much kept it quiet. When called to open a locked door at a person’s house. This was one way in which they could opened the door.
Evidently someone or some people figured everyone should know about this. It is now being made public on tv and the internet. The nightly news in Cleveland, Ohio made this known last fall. You can buy keys and the “bumper tool” on the internet. Whether you need the tool is questionable. I have seen guys use a piece of wood.
You can enter lock bumping and do a google search for lock bumping and find/orderlocks that are more burglar proof. The lock looks basically the same. But the tumblars have been redesigned to a angular fashion and the key to match.
Well, it’s a fact of life that your average dwelling is never going to be secure from sufficiently determined assailants. Absolute security is an illusion.
A number of “high security” locks have slant-cut or other designs that are bump-proof. These have been around for years, but are quite a bit more expensive than the usual Kwikset or Schlage locks one finds on houses. But better to invest in an alarm system, since an expensive lock just means the burgler will come through a window, or batter the door out of the frame. It’s the old adage about a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Exactly!
A good quote to keep in mind is, “Locks only keep honest people honest!”
Lets face it, if someone wants in they WILL GET IN! You can have the best lock in the world, but a well placed brick/stone through a window can bypass that!
Chuck
I don’t see how any of this is real “news”. Maybe the methods have changed, but as Agamemnon already said, an average house is never going to be secure enough to stop a determined thief. So you can upgrade your locks, but there’s probably a dozen other ways a professional can get into your house.
I think the most you can do is to make your house less desirable than others around you to break into. Part of it is simple security, but a big part is not giving a thief a good reason to break in to begin with.
All locks are nothing more than a delay devise. Alarms,dogs and guns beat locks every time. Gasturbine admitted it was one of the few times he didn’t set his alarm.
Not so long ago, about a year ago, there was a short lived show on The Learning Channel or DIscovery. (Not to be confused with Mythbusters). The purpose of the show was to test things. Like mattresses . Which one would catch fire under a blowtorch, which would go out, which would smolder, which would melt.
In one episode, they tested locks (not deadbolts…just doorlocks) When a hammer was used, even the expensive ones could be broken just with a hammer blow or two.Add a sledge hammerand its lites out for all locks.
I have “medium” locks. On the other hand, I figure as someone said, if they want in, they will get in. ANd I have nothing really that I value that much that I’d rather they broke in and stole it while I’m not here, as opposed to having them harm me or my family.
My attitude would be “here—take it…let me help you carry it out… by the way theres a twenty under the toaster…”
-G
Modeling the city of Grimey, perched atop the Black cliffs, overlooking the steam service yard at Sooty junction. The G,B&S - the Grimey, Black & Sooty Railroad.
A lock, any lock, will only keep an honest person out.
-George
Even with a $150.00 lock like was mention a experience crook would get around that lock just as easy.Today’s professional thieves are smarter then crooks in the past…Only the bumblers and inexperience thieves get busted.
And for you people with alarms, you would be suprised at how easy it is to disable them but the average burgler is not even going to trash the lock, they will just kick the door in!
The experienced crook is a rare breed nowadays. The majority of the stolen property crimes are perpetrated by people with heavy drug habits in need of their next fix. If you want to protect your pride and joy with a good lock go with Medeco. They won’t totally inoculate you from the criminal element but it will drive most amateurs away to easier pickings. Their locks use keys that are slant cut but a determined crook will still get in and steal your stuff. If I had a large investment sitting around in my basement or attic, I’d spend a few $$ for a decent alarm system and a video surveillance system that would get a good clear picture of unauthorized guests helping themselves to your stuff. The police and prosecutors love good pictures of people in the act of committing a crime.
Exactly right. Why fiddle with a lock and alert the residents, when you can get so much more bang for your buck with the added shock factor of catching them by surprise and instilling the fear that comes with masked intruders screaming at you to get on the floor? No way, kick in the door, which is almost always a one kick effort (unless you have heavy steel doors and armoured frames), put the fear of death into the homeowners, get what you want, and get out, all in 45 seconds.
As the director of a biodefense lab, I know full well how ineffective some security systems can. Locks can be defeated easily with sheer brute force. My security system has multiple layers, but most of those are impractical for the average homeowner. Some of the more practical ones are dogs and video surveillance.
A big enough dog (not necessarily the toughest) is usually enough to scare away most thieves (especially those intent on stealing trains). Of course, you must consider the rest of the family when having a large dog.
A video system won’t stop the theft, but it will record who did it, and if properly placed, the intruder won’t even know it’s there. If, and when, I ever get to that point in my MRR career where I have thousands of dollars invested, I will put in some sort of monitoring system (relatively cheap compared to the investment).
I talked to my insurance company and they said generally after about $2,000 is when you should have a specific addendum to your homeowner’s policy just for the train stuff.
I already have a big dog and an attack Macaw, so I am half-way there. If you can get by both of those, you can have it! But god help you when I review the tapes!
I agree. I am not in the business, but I have always opined that a sleepy dog is far and away more effective for your safety (read my post above about shock factor…it really helps the crooks do what they do) than an alarm system or door locks. For one thing, every dwelling that I have ever entered has windows. If the door presents too much of a problem, and the criminal is bent on entering, he’ll get in through a window…usually one that only needs to be slid wider because it is already open.
Another tip that I saw on a local newscast just last night for those who might have or be thinking about putting their homes on the market. Real estate brokers and agents are very big into putting photos of their listings on the internet nowadays. This makes it very easy to find homes with lots of items to steal especially when the crooks can check out the inventory and layout from the comfort of their own home before venturing into yours.
One of the big rules of thumb in selling residential property is that homes show best when you have the least amount of excess clutter. If an agent wants to do a photo layout of your home on their website, keep the valuables out from in front of the lens. Same goes if your agent wants to have an open house. Some thieves use those for window shopping and planning for a later visit. If I had a home listed for sale on the internet, I would be very prone to mention the home security features along with a nice shot of a big mean looking dog resting on the rug in front of the fireplace. I wouldn’t want a photo of the room that has a layout featured either. Just a mention of a large hobby area/den would suffice.
What annoys me more than actual crime is the proliferation of video clips like the above, newspaper articles, and so on. They are aimed at making people feel afraid. They also sell magazines and make people tune in to Oprah (or what have you). People who are afraid will buy/watch/read/rent/whatever easier things if they promise to make that fear go away.
So, the next time you see a clip or read a story, pause and reflect. Is it really just a way to get you to shell out the bucks for a third deadbolt to your tool shed? Does your fridge really need voiceprint ID? Is a panic room for the family pet an absolute necessity or a clever way for a contractor to make a few extra wads of cash?
And so on.
My Local news did a story on “Lock Bumping” a few weeks ago. I couldn’t believe what I saw, you might as well just leave your doors unlocked. They did say that most NEW locks are safe.
Over in Ft Collins at the Meat Plant there is a shop that is gaurded by what I think is quite possibly the biggest meanest heaviest dog I ever laid eyes on in all of the USA.
It is a wussy puppy looking to be petted and loved during business hours but once that fence is shut and lights off… you AINT making it to the fence at ALL.
I find Shepards to be the best because they know the difference between family, friends and everyone else. You dont have to train them at all, just love em, feed em and walk em… when the time comes to fight they will do so. I have had the honor of being around some very good dogs of that breed in my life time. Absolute loyalty and obideance to mastery first followed by a chance to new comers to demonstrate acceptance.
I you get inside the house and take all you want, but you cannot carry any of it out.