If Someone Uses a Padlock to Lock You Out

[Locks+Picks_Happy]

So I was talking to a friend that wants to get into picking, and I was telling him about the importance of legality (never picking a lock you don't own). But he asked a question that I don't know the answer to (and might effect me at some point).

If someone puts a padlock on say your bike chain and it prevents you access, what is the right thing to do? Can you pick it? Do you have to call the Cops? I know that they would have technically broken the law by locking something that is not their property, but do I have the right to pick the lock?

This happened to my father back in the 60's and he got a friend to bring a pair of bolt cutters. I figure breaking the lock is worse than picking it, but I am not sure if any of it is legal.

I bike a lot, and I have heard of this happening from a few of my rider friends. I just want to do the right thing in this situation (that I hope I am never in), and give people the right advice.

Thanks

[MacGyver101]

The legal answer varies by jurisdiction; in practice, though, it's unlikely you'd be charged with unlocking your own bike (assuming it was a legal place to lock it up in the first place).

Legality aside, I'd personally also want to make sure that I wasn't about to leave someone else's bike unlocked and sitting there, waiting to be stolen. (In most cases, the owner of the other lock has just screwed up: while locking up their own bike, they accidentally managed to hook your frame/wheel/whatever as well.) One of my worries with picking someone's unknown padlock is that I'd want to be sure I'm really familiar with it first... I wouldn't want to discover after it's open that I couldn't relock it (e.g., if it's some cheap dimple lock that shoots its driver pins and springs into the keyway if it's rotated without a key in place).

Anyhow, none of that was really an answer to your question. Personally, I wouldn't do it: I'd leave the other person's lock alone... and, if I really had to get my bike, I'd either call the property manager or the the local non-emergency police number first, to report what I was doing, before I removed the lock.

And now a funny, but very related story: a friend of mine was in a similar situation a few years ago. He was on his way back from a party and found his recently-stolen, heavily customized bike sitting chained up to someone else's fence. (He was sure it was his bike, because of all of the custom work he'd done on it.) So, he cut the lock, left a note and took the bike home. You can imagine his surprise when a REALLY angry guy found the note and called him, demanding his bike back. It turns out that, shortly after my friend ordered his custom bike, the shop that he'd bought all of the parts from decided that they really liked the design... and started selling that exact custom build as a stock bike in their shop. So, he ended up having to do the "walk of shame" back to this guy's house, to return the bike, replace the lock, and apologize for becoming a bike thief himself...

So... moral of that story: if you do ever decide to remove someone else's lock, make sure it's actually your bike!

[Locks+Picks_Happy]

I just realized that I read this and did not thank you! Sorry for the delayed thanks. Great story.

Also in the times people have brought this up it is that someone will add their lock onto your chain. There is not even necessarily another bike around. It seems like it might happen when someone finds and open lock and doesn't have a key,so they just ruin another person's day. So it would not leave anyone's bike unlocked...if it was wrapped around my bike and another person's bike I would have to just wait...I guess (that is a way tougher predicament)

Great story, I am glad it all worked out for you (except you did not get your bike back).

Did you end up purchasing one of the store replicas?

[MacGyver101]

My friend never did get his bike back, sadly.

[MatrixBlackRock]

If someone puts a padlock on say your bike chain and it prevents you access, what is the right thing to do? Can you pick it? Do you have to call the Cops? I know that they would have technically broken the law by locking something that is not their property, but do I have the right to pick the lock?

Thanks

While I cannot quote a law as it pertains to this, I can relate to having foreign locks installed on my property, I manage a number of sites in Florida and access to the sites is controlled by master-keyed padlocks which we provide for the tenants as part of the lease agreement, those padlocks are stamped with the tenants initials and are then daisy chained to a heavy duty chain welded to one of the gates. Opening any one of the padlocks allows the chain to be removed from the other gate or post allowing the gate(s) to be opened providing access to the site.

The reason we moved from the standard Masterlock 4 combo padlocks to keyed padlocks, is security, it was not uncommon to find a valid tenant combo dialed into a number of the padlocks until one popped open, of course the lock that opened would be scrambled so it could be relocked, but the tenants technicians without fail never scrambled the other padlocks, leaving a valid entry code exposed on those other locks, it was also discovered at a few sites someone was writing codes with a permanent marker on the hinge side posts.

Now every once and awhile we will discover a foreign padlock added to the daisy chain and policy is, if that lock is a not a stamped utility providers lock or is a combo lock, it will get a bolt cutter applied to it and once removed it will be hung, busted open, to the fence as a reminder not to install another one and if the lock is marked up and the tenant, who's tech installed the lock can be identified, the tenant will receive a notice via. certified mail of a lease violation.

Also if someone was to add another chain and padlock, defeating the purpose of the daisy chain you can be assured the padlock regardless of it's type, will be cut open and the lock and chain will be disposed of.

Wayne

[thetrh51]

There was a reddit topic on this a while back. Apparently bike thieves will sometimes lock someone's bike up with their own lock in order to come back later and steal it. If it's something like that, I'd feel justified in opening and taking that lock. Otherwise call the police and watch the magic of bolt cutters on action.

[Jburgett2nd]

If I knew for certain it was my bike I'd for sure either cut the lock off or pick it, If it was a simple mistake such as hooking my bike in with another I'd be more concerned with keeping the lock working but just a random lock, yeah...it'd be off. Now I do know that if you remove a boot on your car that you can get in pretty big trouble if it is from the government. I saw a story a while back about a guy that owned a parking lot next to a subway and charged a fee, if someone didnt pay the fee then he would boot the car and have them pay a boat load to take it off, in the video I saw he used a cheap padlock, I thought to myself yeah that'd be off my truck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb2cSolkP04 Had to rewatch the video, but yeah Since it wasn't the government if I was in that guys position I'd pick it!