Felony...

[AlphaOmega]

Now i know what your gonna say... that im a fool and yes i know i am but i want to tell you my situation.....

I was on drugs a few years ago and i was hanging with the wrong kinda of people and i got talked into trying to steal cars... anyways i started researching on the web on how to get into locks and stuff, well I did this for 2 yrs and never got caught... what got me caught was i got too bold and started doing storages.... anyways i was caught because it was inevitable... So now I have a commercial burglary felony on my record.. but this last few years i have been seriously studying locksmithing ya know? I even went and took the foley-belsaw course and passed it.. but i have basically ruined every chance for me to become a locksmith... right? Or is there any possible way I could be one? That is my question.....I regret it every day of my life... Locksmithing is so fun.. the only thing i can think of is to get off probation and have my record expunged then maybe i could get bonded and hired right? I know im a fool just please dont rag on me as i am seriously asking for your help.... Thank you for reading this and God Bless you all!

[globallockytoo]

It is unfortunate that because of your record that you would not qualify for licensing in most states. However, there are still states that dont require licensing. Whilst most (all, hopefully) locksmith companies do their due diligence with respect to background checks, if you are up front with them and display honesty and integrity, you might receive the opportunity to work in a locksmith business, but they might restrict the types of duties for you.

I used to know a fellow, who was a locksmith before being convicted of an unrelated felony. Because of his conviction, he was unable to work in a position of a locksmith ever again. But he was still able to be employed, by a locksmith company as a storeman and packer....or a labourer.

He became the goto man for a company....he was responsible for ordering all product for this company and eventually, with hard work, became a successful manager of the buying department.

Your dream of practising locksmithing to the general public may have been dashed. this does not mean necessarily that you couldnt work in another facet of the industry, in my opinion.

[mrdan]

Well, we have all been "young and dumb" at some point in our lives. Yes, yours was a path that I would hope my kids never go down. Morally speaking, what you do with your life is between you and God. You will find it very hard to get anywhere in the security industry with a criminal past. (unless it gets expunged) I don't know how old you are or what your life goals and what not. You can always use your past to make you stronger. There are people with far worse pasts than yours that have done well in the security field, you just have to get past the criminal background checks that you will probably have to go through.

In essence never say never. Just go forward with your plans and meet all obstacles head on and with purpose.

I've said enough. Sorry. You have the floor.

[Raccoon]

There are posts floating around citing locksmiths who have started with a criminal past. One I recall was a former bank robber who held up an armed truck and cost him several years in prison. He became a locksmith and was well regarded.

If you want to have the case expunged, then be sure you do so with the aid of paid legal assistance. You cannot do this effectively on your own-- only a lawyer can. It's a process more tedious than correcting identity theft.

[Shrub]

anyways i started researching on the web on how to get into locks and stuff,

The problem is this could just be another reccy couldnt it, its likely youve already used this site for illegal gains and that annoys me,

Your a scumbag and i hate scumbags but there are many people who have come from your back ground into the locksmith industry,

You did the crime so you do the time, dont try to get off your convictions serve them and then think about starting your new carrea after that dont start trying to have anything over turned as you deserve what you have around your neck,,

The problem with people like you is that 'your ok jack' until you get caught, if you hadnt have been caught you would still be doing it so get rid of the puppy dog eyes as im certainly not gogin to give you an easy time of it,

It sounds like youve made an effort if we are to believe your post and done some training via FB so now you need to start reading the law thread and researching that, it may be that once you have a crime under your belt you cant become licenced at all in your area but i dont know,

I half heartedly wish you luck as personally i think people like you should have their hands cut off when caught and that would mean lockpicking wouldnt be somthing you would be doing unless you get some pretty special false limbs,

[RodVT]

Me and a close friend want to open a locksmith business..... Anyways he has a couple of burglaries on his record! Is there any chance of him being able to be a locksmith or am I in this alone?

So, when you posted the above back in March you were talking about yourself, right?

Original post: http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?p=230535&highlight=#230535

How old are you? Are you mature enough now that you can resist your "dark side" and make positive use of locksmithing knowledge, or will this just become another test that if you fail, we pay?

Sorry, but I am not having happy happy thoughts right now....

[RodVT]

Me and a close friend want to open a locksmith business..... Anyways he has a couple of burglaries on his record! Is there any chance of him being able to be a locksmith or am I in this alone?

So, when you posted the above back in March you were talking about yourself, right?

Original post: http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?p=230535&highlight=#230535

How old are you? Are you mature enough now that you can resist your "dark side" and make positive use of locksmithing knowledge, or will this just become another test that if you fail, we pay?

Sorry, but I am not having happy happy thoughts right now....

[Eyes_Only]

I wouldn't give up Alpha. If you have a record I assume you did your time or paid your dues to the community for what you've done, and if you're honest about it to your employers you may still have a chance if you find someone that can have faith in your redemption process.

One thing that is very important I've learned from first hand experience is to really study and explore all the fundamentals of locksmithing like impressioning, master keying, key cutting and another big plus is being able to understand and work with some type of high security lock to prove your interest in locksmithing is honest and true.

What I recommend if you are truely and honestly aiming to become a locksmith in the future is to find another job where you can move up in the company slowly but surely where you become placed in some position where you are trusted with something important and strive to show and build a reputation that you are a fully upright and trust worthy person so you can have positive references to use when applying for a locksmith job.

This method may take some years to fully realize but if you are truely interested and passionate about the security trade you would be willing to work hard to realize your dream.

Everyone has done something stupid when we were younger but no one can be condemed forever. Thats my two cents.

[donjon]

You could always take your bad experiences in life and use them to improve security on cars etc. kind of like a "Frank Abagnale Jr" sort of thing.

[Nasydave]

If you are serious about turning it around, this is exactly the kind of situation that Governors issue pardons for.....

[mrdan]

anyways i started researching on the web on how to get into locks and stuff,

...
Your a scumbag and i hate scumbags but there are many people who have come from your back ground into the locksmith industry,
...

Rule #9:
9. Flaming other posters is not in permitted on any forum. All flames will be deleted/edited, and the poster warned.

Flaming is telling someone off in a harsh way, name calling, swearing, being sarcastic, upsetting the member its aimed at is basically all involved

Quote from Zeke after warning about name caling.
"In the future, if you do not have something constructive to add please keep your fingers off the keyboard."
http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?p=222025#222025

[globallockytoo]

And this guy is a moderator for this site!

[mrdan]

I wouldn't say that shrub should be attacked, just made a mistake. I am sure glad that around here, we don't have that kind of unforgiving attitude... We all make mistakes and sometimes they are big ones. Breaking the rules of ones own place isn't enough to say he is a bad guy. (just human) I wasn't intending to start a war of he said she saids and tit-4-tat. Just bringing a friendly reminder that we are all human and capable of mistakes and forgiveness.

Sorry Shrub and anyone else who I might have offended that has the power to vaporize me.

[Trip Doctor]

Were you under 18 when you did all that naughty naughty stuff? If you were under 18, and now you're over 18, you might have a fair chance at gettin pardoned to some extent. You might have to work the crappy side of the business to prove yourself though. I'm sure you can go to the locksmith shop and have a talk with the manager or something like that.

[Shrub]

Mrdan, well done but poorly placed, i could start quoteing the rules about questioning a mods decision or what hes said but i wont, shame as youve probalby been waiting for a post like this for ages, sorry to piss on your fire,
Its true rules are rules but this guy is a scumbag, its not name calling but fact, hes a thief who most probably used information from this site to steal off innocent people maybe even a post or two of my own and that annoys me,

He stopped because he got caught or at least we are led to believe he has stopped,
He has already been to site and lied about his situation which is deceptive,
He was caught for the crime he was doing not the others, has he done the punishment for those crimes?
Has he been to the other crime scenes and appolagised and replaced the property?
Is he here doing more research?

I have ZERO tolerance for this kind of person and i shall also add that once a theif always a thief, if it was someone stealing out of charecter to feed a starving family then i could accept that but for the normal reasons i can not,

Global, keep gogin mate thats surely the way to get me on your side isnt it, do you practise being so abrasive or does it come natuaraly?