Dave McOmie - Safecracker: A Chronicle of the Coolest Job in the World

Dave McOmie

An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
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Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright 2021 by Dave McOmie

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

ISBN 978-1-4930-5851-8 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4930-5852-5 (electronic)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.481992.

What comes to mind when you hear the word safecracker ? Maybe a thug with more tattoos than teeth, pounding on a safe with a sledgehammer, and cussing through a dangling cigarette. Or maybe an action hero like Tom Cruise, contorting his body through a maze of infrared laser beams while rappelling over a towering safe full of flawless diamonds. The last thing youd expect is a compact twenty-something with a Beatles haircut, a suitcase full of tools, and a philosophy book. But in early 1986 that is exactly who I discovered.

Back then, I was the editor and publisher of The National Locksmith, a trade magazine for the security industry. I was always on the lookout for locksmiths and safe technicians who could translate their technical know-how into readable articles. One day, while going through the mail, I discovered a handwritten letter from one Dave McOmie, offering to write a recurring column on safecracking. He was so confident and so clearly knowledgeable on the topic that I sent him a plane ticket. I just had to meet this guy.

With no idea what Dave looked like, I found myself standing at OHare Airport, holding a sign that said simply MCOMIE. I scanned the bustling crowd at Arrivals until a lone traveler caught my gaze, smiled and waved, and strode over to shake my hand. I was incredulous that a seasoned safecracker could be so young, but we hit it off immediately, and the rest is history.

Dave took the industry by storm, and his vivid descriptions of life as a master safecracker made him our most popular columnist, virtually overnight. Everyone enjoys the adventures of a guy with the coolest job in the world!

His occupation is ruled, quite unforgivingly at times, by precise measurements for exploiting design vulnerabilities in safes and vaults. You either have these measurements known as drill points or you dont. Dave has them, to the enduring delight of his reading audience.

He hosted a monthly column in The National Locksmith for more than three decades before devoting himself exclusively to The International Safecracker, his quarterly journal for working professionals. He has authored two dozen technical books, taught thousands of students at his legendary Penetration Parties, and traveled far and wide to open the most difficult safes and vaults in the country.

In the small community of locksmiths and safecrackers, Dave is a rock star, albeit a reluctant one. Averse to both crowds and chitchat, hes a bit of an introvert who has never embraced his celebrity status. Indeed, he would rather read than mingle, as I have witnessed firsthand.

We were at the annual Associated Locksmiths of America convention, announcing the release of one of Daves early books. His hotel reservation fell through, and there were no rooms available. It was late evening, so I offered him the second bed in my suite. When it was time to turn out the lights, he slapped on headphones and put a tape in his Walkman. He was listening to the audio track of a debate over the morality of capital punishment.

The following morning, a little before dawn, he was sitting up in bed, book light attached to The View from Nowhere, a dense and difficult book by philosopher Thomas Nagel. This pattern repeated all three days. Dave did his duty on the convention floor, signing books and posing for photographs. But on his own time, he was either immersed in a book or discussing a serious issue with one or two people, well away from the limelight.

This unusual combination of talents and proclivities made Dave a rare breed from the get-go. It also suited him, quite uniquely, to produce this autobiographical account of life as a professional safecracker the first and only memoir of its kind.

Youre about to meet the slightly reclusive, deeply reflective safecracker Ive known for more than thirty years. I never thought this private man would go public, but Im thrilled he did. You will be too.

Buckle up!

Marc Goldberg
Former Editor/Publisher
The National Locksmith

All people and events in this book are real. Where feasible, I have divulged the names of persons, banks, and other companies that engaged my services. In a few places, however, I have honored requests for anonymity or privacy. And for the sake of narrative flow, I have compressed certain time sequences and recreated dialogue that comports with my best recollection of those conversations.

Sparks fly off the drill bit Im pressing gently against the grinding wheel. Dull bits are dead bits that are either resurrected or unceremoniously buried, and this one is being brought back to life. The smell of burnt metal tells me to ease up. Im checking the tip for sharpness and symmetry when my vest pocket vibrates twice a text. Through smudged safety glasses, I read a single question on the screen: Available to drill a bank vault?

Its Mike Hitchcock from Vegas. Hitch is a field technician with Diebold, my biggest and best client. They maintain cash safes, vaults, ATMs, and safe deposit boxes in banks and credit unions in all fifty states. I turn off the grinder, text him yes, and ask if he prefers tomorrow morning or afternoon.

Hitchs answer catches me by surprise: Must be today, Dave. Call me when you break free.

Whoa. I rarely open a bank vault same day, especially when it requires a plane ride. A days notice is standard. This provides a little time to review the job and plot an effective attack, including Plan B in case things go south.

Hitch gives me the lowdown over the phone. Hes serious this vault needs to be open before midnight tonight. Its not at a brick-and-mortar branch but at a major banking chains private currency center on the outskirts of town. Bank personnel dialed the correct combination this morning, but the vaults handle wouldnt turn. They soon discovered why: the timelock had been overwound by approximately twenty-four hours.

A timelock is an ingenious device that prevents a bank vault from being dialed open after hours. Inside the timelock are three small clocks, each with a square post that fits perfectly in a winding key. Two bank employees approach the vault at closing time. One person winds time on all three clocks, then the other double-checks the number of hours wound.