David Calvin - Drilling Open & Bypassing Locks: (Why Every Building Needs High Security Products & Alarms)

Drilling Open & Bypassing Locks

( Why Every Building Needs High Security Products & Alarms)

David Calvin

Copyright, 2014

Introduction

Burglars normally do not drill locks in order to commit burglaries. In my 25 years as a locksmith, I have only encountered two burglaries where drills were used. The first drill attack I noted was carried out on a residence. The burglar used a drill to completely obliterate a deadbolt cylinder in order to gain entry. The second one I noted took place on the back door of a business. Here, the burglar drilled out the door jamb where the deadbolt bolt entered the jamb. Although the jamb was heavy metal, and although the jamb was filled with concrete, the attack was successful and the door was opened. Before we go any further, I want to lay out for you the specifics of each scenario.

Residential Attack

This attack was done by a person who did not know how to drill out a deadbolt cylinder. The person carrying out this attack guessed that, by drilling out the entire core of the lock, the lock could be opened. He was right: no core, no need for a key. What makes this kind of attack easy is that standard, home-owner grade locks are very cheaply constructed. Instead of being made of high-grade metal, these locks are usually made of gray pot metal. This metal is very soft. However, it should be noted that drilling out the entire core can result in other problems, making the lock more difficult to open.

Commercial Attack

This attack was done by a person who was extremely practical and had good common sense. By looking between the crack of the door and jamb, the bolt of the lock could be clearly seen. Since all deadbolts have only a one inch throw, the burglar knew he had to remove one inch of metal jamb. The burglar drew an outline on the jamb where the bolt was and then proceeded to drill a series of postage stamp sized holes. When the holes were finished, he inserted a flat-head driver, tapped the driver into the holes, and removed a nice, square piece of metal. Then, using a hammer and driver, he chipped out the jamb concrete. Using a crowbar, the burglar then easily pried to door apart where the door lever latch could be seen entering the jamb. The deadbolt had been deactivated through removal a door jamb material.

In this attack, no amount of money spent on a door lever and deadbolt, not to mention latch and bolt guards, could have prevented this forced entry. Even if the locks in question had been drill resistant, high-security locks like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock, the entry could still have been made. Note that, in this scenario, the locks had simply been bypassed altogether.

Solutions?

I am convinced that any burglar who wants to break into a home or place of business is going to figure out how to do so. I have seen burglars kick doors in, bust windows and climb through (often leaving a trail of blood behind), enter cooking vents in restaurants, punch holes though the vents into the ceilings, and drop down into offices. I have seen burglars drill locks, drill jambs, use crowbars to spread door apart and use vice grips to remove lock cylinders.

The solution for the homeowner is not a single solution, nor will there ever be a single solution. The homeowner must have drill-resistant deadbolts and handles, motion lights, and a burglar alarm. Not only that, a homeowner must have all of the bushes and shrubs around their homes either trimmed back massively or removed altogether. Believe it or not, a protective, noisy dog is also a great security feature, as is a community or neighborhood watch.

The solution for the commercial property is to do away with the lever and deadbolt altogether. Not only is having two locks on an emergency exit against the law as well as being a life safety hazard, having two locks that can be accessed on the outside are little more than invitations to burglars. Burglars know where the locks are and how they can be compromised. All businesses today must have rear doors that incorporate a panic or exit device. This device complies with safety codes and can be used to exit the property in the event of an emergency. But this is not enough. Each rear and side exit door on a business needs a Detex EAX-500 exit alarm to discourage internal theft, and an Exit Security Bar for after hours door security. The outside of the doors should have no visible handle or lock mechanisms. By omitting these visible indicators, the burglar will have no point of reference with which to attack any of the locking features.

Purpose of this book

The purpose of this book is to show you, the locksmith, how locks are drilled open and defeated in order for you to start thinking how homes and businesses can be better secured. Not only will I show you how to drill open residential locks, but I will also show you how to compromise commercial locks. Included here will be information about how burglars are getting through store front glass doors without even using drills and how you can stop it! Not only will you come to see and understand the vulnerability of commercial locks, but I will show you how high-security locks like Medeco and Assa can be compromised. This will include the cabinet locks and coin deposit boxes that are found on carwashes. What I will show are some basic principles that will enable you to begin thinking outside of the box. It is my hope that, by sharing this information, you may become the person who develops a new product that can defeat burglars who are gaining entry into properties by using these methods. The problem is real; and, with the advent of the internet, there are no more secrets. My book, however, contains real information unlike what you will find on the internet.

A note about pictures

Although I will show you a few pictures illustrating the topics I will be discussing, it isnt necessary to include a picture of every single lock being drilled. A straightly drilled hole is a hole, right? Use your common sense. I will use a few generic locks that have been marked for drill points and then explain to you the process. Do not fear, you will get the picture. If you must have pictures, scour the internet, there are plenty there.

Table of Contents

1. Drilling standard locks at the sheer line

2. Drilling locks for the screw holes

3. Other commercial glass door lock openings and preventing them

4. Drilling the Medeco

5. Compromising the Exit Security Device and how to stop it

6. Drilling the panic bar cylinder

7. Drilling the catch on the commercial lever

8. Drilling the office file cabinet

Drilling standard locks at the sheer line

If have not read any of my other books available at Amazon, please take the time to download my ebook, The Basics of Lock Cylinder Rekeying. This book is only $2.99. Just go to Amazon Books and type in the search column, David Calvin Locksmith. This will help you understand just how standard locks operate and how they are pinned up.

Drilling the lever/knob

In brief, when you drill for the sheer line of a lock cylinder, you are drilling to obliterate that sheer line. In a lock cylinder, you have top pins coming down under spring pressure that meet and stop at bottom pins. These bottom pins are activated by the proper key. When the key is inserted, the bottom pins and top pins created a straight sheer line. That sheer line meets where the key plug (the part of the cylinder where the key is inserted) meets the outer part of the lock called the shell. See the picture below.

Figure 1 - Unassembled key-in-knob commercial cylinder

So, what do we have in this picture? On the top we have the shell. Below the shell we have 1) the top springs that 2) push down the top pins that 3) engage the bottom pins (which are right above the key and have points on the bottom). Of course, all of these pins, tops and bottom, achieve a sheer line at top of the silver plug you see on the left. So, if NO key is inserted, there is not sheer line and the key cannot turn. Basically, the top pins, under spring pressure, are being pushed down into the silver plug on your left, blocking the plug from turning in the housing or shell.