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For The Forensic Locksmith

by Williom E. Sherlock
The dial and dial ring have been knocked off an{ a couple of holes have been drilled in the door. You make the repairs and go about your business hoping to have made a new customer. About a week later, a couple of detectives show up at your shop. They would like copes of the notes you made on your service call to the video shop

It's probably a good guess the culprit is not a locksmith but rather a janitor or maintenance man, who is
armed

-lucasglglic .D-sparlncnIs@e Ia ratory Division, I've iust about seen it all.

Or should I say I've just about seen enough.

with alttleknowledge of all the trades needed to maintain

this type of building.

Unfortunately,
over the years we have received cylinders for ex-

Whenever I have the opportunity, I like to speak with community and business groups about the security in their

buildings. Based on what I've seen over the years, I can only recommend that
these groups always have their security set

aml of un-

nation with all kinds

usual arrangements.

The
about some

shocking thing
ofthese arrange-

burglary. They would also like to know why you repaired the safe before they got to look at it. Your response is that you didn't take notes on that job or any other job for that matter. Their next statement floors
you:

up by a locksmith. I was conducting a microscopic examination of the combination pins and plug of a mortise cylinder submitted from a burglary scene. There were no signs of a forced entry at the scene of the crime. Our

ments is that
mise the security

they comproof the cylin-

"Notes would have helped you

when you are called to testify next month. We caught the guys a couple of nights ago and they said they tried to open the safe,

der.

The residents of the apartment building feel that their

families are secure when, in fact, they are vulnerable. Businessmen feel their offices are secure when they ae away, but they, too, are susceptible. Combination pins loaded upsidedown and used for drivers, only a couple chambers loaded and plugs filed so flat almost any key will open the cylinder are just some of the arrangements that breech
security in such a waY.

Evidence Technicians are instructed to submit the cylinder(s) to the Laboratory for examination when this occurs.

but couldn't get in. "You did say

you got there?"

it

was open when

The witness stand can be a very

Only five of the six chambers

were pinned. The combination pins from chambers one and two showed no signs that an instrument other than a key was used. The combination pins from chambers three, four and five, and the plug were different stories.

intimidating place to be if you have all yotu stufftogether. Being assigned to various units within the Chicago Police Department Crime Laboratory for over 20
years, I've been called on to testify in court

well over 100 times.

Much of the time mytestimonyis very short. This usually happens when the defense attorney chooses not to conduct a
cross examination. At other times,

They were grossly marked and it -o. was obvious these marks were'caused by .L\ \, picklng, but not as an element of this ,nS j' * particular crime. The marks showed signs J \', ^
L--+ -of

Another disturbing trend highlighted by my line of work is what a safe technician needs to know to protect himself. A few simple things can be done to insure yourself in the long run.
Let's say you are called bY the manager of a video store not far from your shop. He tells you the store was burglarized over the weekend and the safe was damaged during the break-in. He would Iike the safe door repaired as soon as possible. When you arrive, you find a small

it

can

oxidation and some of the marks farthest from the path of the key were im:

can be very grueling with cross and recross examination. The longest I have been on the
witness stand was five-and-one-half hours. That was for a homicide case when I was assigned to the Mobile Crime Laboratory. My partner and I processed the crime scene for physical evidence. I realize that taking notes, measurements and sketches on service calls would be very time consuming and not a profit maker, but on certain types of calls, doing these simple things may be worth

pacted with lint, dust and grease, The plug was filed blatantlY flat. This did not really affect the forensic ex-

| I I I | I
I

amination, but it was very disturbing to -" as a locksmith that this type of work
was being done.

over the years, information

suP-

"brand name" money

safe

with the door

plied by the Evidence Technician Reports ,o us that they cylinders are from older multi-family dwellings and office buildrngs.

wide open in the office. It/s obvious to you that the police have been there because of the fingerprint powder residue on several

items in the office area.

your while.
J:une

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