Be careful out there...

[scorche]

For anyone that hasn't heard about it yet... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dawn-teo/ ... 75505.html

I would hate to hear this happened to one of us...

[TheSkyer]

Wow, thanks for the heads up. It's to bad people always go after their gun, I myself am a gun owner and even if someone was to break into my house I wouldn't unload my weapon on him unless I was in serious physical danger. I would take a can of pepper spray or something to that effect. You might just as well accidentally shoot your daughter when she's coming home from a night out...

I dunno man, this is the reason I'm not a fan of everyone just being able to get a gun in the states....

[freakparade3]

Here's one from my neck of the woods. http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/35336149.html

This was an eviction. The guy went nuts on the locksmith and the locksmith killed him. No charges were filed against the locksmith.

[lunchb0x]

For the first one what does the locksmith expect, I know beigng shot is taking it a bit too far but he was breaking into some guys house at 4:30 in the morning, didn't he knock first, I know that if I hear someone breaking into my house first thing in the morning, regardless if their in a uniform or not I will be doing something about it.
And the second link, this is happening too much, every week on another forum I go to there is an article about a locksmiths being called out to jobs and robbed, having guns pulled on them and all sorts of crap, is it really going to get to the point where they will need the police to come out to every job with them just so they know they can saftly do their job.

I dunno man, this is the reason I'm not a fan of everyone just being able to get a gun in the states....

I agree, there isn't a problem with owning weapons but when someone ownes a gun just because there allowed too its pretty stupid and no wonder so many people get shot.

[Sven]

this is very sad. wondering if the landlord could face wrongful death charges, since his negligence lead to this chain of events.

i started my locksmith career doing evictions. its not exactly the best feeling way to earn a living, but i would say the vast majority of evictions i have done have been trouble free. 4 out of 5 times, the landlord's key still works the majority of locks and the place is vacant. maybe some ripe smelling garbage or some fleas, but even if still occupied, 4 of 5 of those times the evictee does not become belligerent (at least with me) i always insist the sheriff deputies meet both myself and the landlord/ LL representative at the jobsite. this also helps screen less scrupulous landlords, as it ensures they have followed all due process and diligence. i charge the customer a premium for the firm time schedule, and try to always park down the street or around a corner. also, i arrive early, although the deputies are most likely only on time or late. no landlord wants to evict (at least in my neck of the woods) it is nothing but a hassle and an expense, and the local courts always error on the side of the tenant.

best wishes.

[Sven]

sorry but i believe it is err.

[nblythin]

I work for a property management firm... and have done a number of evictions for our own rental units; luckily all with the Sheriff present. But I think if I were doing this type of work 'in the field' as such, especially in any of the bigger cities, I'd seriously consider wearing body armour. After all, even some mall security guards wear it these days.

It's bad enough when people are losing their homes - but what a shame when violence comes into it and people are being injured or killed. A very sad state of affairs.

[ElAbogado]

For anyone that hasn't heard about it yet... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dawn-teo/ ... 75505.html

I would hate to hear this happened to one of us...

My burning question is: What was he doing performing a forced entry BEFORE DAWN? I might think the same as the homeowner in that situation. Perhaps a more reasonable time for performing his services would have ended up with a different result...

El Abogado

[Tyler J. Thomas]

For anyone that hasn't heard about it yet... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dawn-teo/ ... 75505.html

I would hate to hear this happened to one of us...

My burning question is: What was he doing performing a forced entry BEFORE DAWN? I might think the same as the homeowner in that situation. Perhaps a more reasonable time for performing his services would have ended up with a different result...

El Abogado

I tend to agree with El Abogado on this. Definitely wasn't a very smart approach to a potentially dangerous situation.

We refuse to do evictions without law enforcement and property management involved for this very reason. We don't want to be alone or without the proper personnel to assist. If neither party will accompany myself or one of the other locksmiths, we simply refuse the service request. Our safety isn't worth any amount of money.

[Shangri-laschild]

For the first one what does the locksmith expect, I know beigng shot is taking it a bit too far but he was breaking into some guys house at 4:30 in the morning, didn't he knock first, I know that if I hear someone breaking into my house first thing in the morning, regardless if their in a uniform or not I will be doing something about it.

He did knock first. It says that the person in the house apparently didn't wake up till the lock was being drilled out.

[CaptainPike]

For anyone that hasn't heard about it yet... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dawn-teo/ ... 75505.html

I would hate to hear this happened to one of us...

Are a lot of folks on this forum licensed locksmiths?

I would hate to hear about anyone getting shot. But I believe in a lot of states it's illegal to practice locksmithing without a license. I would think that taking a bullet while practicing locksmithing without a license probly looks a lot worse for you in court than if you had a license.

[globallockytoo]

In the USA, i believe that only 16 states have some sort of licensing program for locksmiths.

[yng_pick]

Here in Florida there is not liscensing for locksmiths.

For evictions, we are generally called out to do them with the police present. The police officer always approaches the door first, and is always the first one in. After picking, we stand back and wait until the officer has cleared the whole house/apartment before working on the rekey.

If a customer calls and says they are evicting their tenant, we tell them that they will have to work it through with the police to meet if they are not entirely sure the place is vacant.

I'm thinking there was some form of mis-communication here; I have seen it happen before where a large realty group/ bank is going through a lot of foreclosures and turn overs, and are not always entirely certain if the place is indeed vacant. He may generally work on properties that are vacated, and perhaps even been told the property was unoccupied. I knock in this situation, as he did, just to be sure, but if you get no answer it is difficult.

Another unfortunate thing is that if it is a situation where the tenant is supposed to be gone, they might not answer the door as they are avoiding process servers, police, landlords, bill collectors, etc.

Since the drilling woke the guy up, woulda been nice if he yelled "I gotta gun, gtfo" or something..

[jdislandlock]

Here's one from my neck of the woods. http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/35336149.html

This was an eviction. The guy went nuts on the locksmith and the locksmith killed him. No charges were filed against the locksmith.

Now that is UNREASONABLE.....


i dont think he died.....