Learning lock picking and better home security

[spacejunk]

Greetings,

I'm a new user and and have a question so i thought i would take the time introduce myself.

I have been interested in lock mechanisms and lock picking for years but just began learning how to pick locks as a hobby while laying in bed the last two months after shattering my right heel. I bought a pick set and a couple practice locks and while picking these and the locks around the house I have become horrified how easily the locks I have securing my house can be raked or bumped, techniques your average high school burglar can easily master. So I have been replacing the more important padlocks and door locks with higher security locks. One such is I have installed a Mul-t-lock MT5+deadbolt on the front door. I bought this expensive lock because I feel it will give me the best possible security (and peace of mind) from picking/bumping and forced entry from anyone not a professional who would be most likely to break into my house through the front door. So with my introduction I'm wondering if I could get some feedback from the board in if you feel I have made the best possible choice in selecting this deadbolt.


Thanks!

[Silverado]

Welcome to the forum! Hopefully you...heel...quickly (pun intended).
if it was something you could easily afford then I don't see a problem with putting the Mul-T-Lock in your deadbolt. I was entertaining the thought of getting higher security locks on my home, but then I thought about all of the other aspects and decided the investment wasn't worth it. A burglar could, and would, take the easier way in by just breaking a window or smashing in the door (if the door frame is just standard wood). If you're concerned about specific valuables I would recommend a high quality, heavy safe (Not safes you would buy at a big box retail store).
That being said, if it wasn't a big investment for you and it gives you peace of mind then you're fine. Getting into this hobby will always amaze the practitioner at how easy it is to circumvent physical security of locks, but keep in mind that most criminals are lazy and don't care to put work into learning such things.
You will learn all sorts of great things here.

[Jacob Morgan]

A high-priced lock may protect from picking or bumping but most break-ins are by forced entry. Doors are kicked in because of weak door frames, not weak locks. There are ways of reinforcing door frames to make them kick resistant. An advanced lock will be pick resistant, but so are other locks retrofitted with mushroom pins and Ilco Bump-Halt kits. Whereas an advanced lock might say "I must have something valuable", a normal-looking lock does not draw attention. If a criminal has to make more than one loud noise and it takes more time to get into your house then they might move on to some other house.

If you go with a safe--bolt it down! If a crook finds a safe they will likely try to haul it off to open later. Knew of one place that kept their business records in a safe, safe got stolen. They had no money in the safe but lost all their records.

An alarm system might make sense, no the police are not likely to show up right away, but it might get the neighbors looking. It might also get the crooks out faster, so maybe they would not find hidden things. It would also reduce the risk of walking in on a criminal unawares.

[smokingman]

Home security is much more than good locks.
There are many things to consider.
It may be overkill for your situation but here are some general things to go over.
This is an excerpt from a book by Bill Phillips.

Home Safety and Security Checklist
By Bill Phillips


Home Exterior

______ Shrubbery. (Shouldn’t be high enough for a burglar to
hide behind—or too near windows or doors.)

______ Trees. (Shouldn’t be positioned so a burglar can use
them to climb into a window.)

______ House numbers. (Should be clearly visible from the
street.)

______ Entrance visibility. (Should allow all entrances to be
seen clearly from the street or other public area.)

______ Lighting near garage and other parking areas.

______ Ladders. (Shouldn’t be in the yard or in clear view.)

______ “Alarm System” or “Surveillance System” stickers.
(Shouldn’t identify the type of system that’s installed.)

______ Mailbox. (Should be locked or otherwise adequately
secured, and should show no name or only a first initial
and last name.)

______ Windows. (Should be secured against being forced
open, but should allow for easy emergency escape.)

______ Window air conditioners. (Should be bolted down or
otherwise protected from removal.)

______ Fire escapes. (Should allow for easy emergency escape
but not allow unauthorized entry.)

Exterior Doors and Locks
(Included here are doors connecting a garage to the home.)

______ Door material. (Should be solid hardwood, fiberglass,
PVC plastic, or metal.)

______ Door frames. (Should allow doors to fit snugly.)

______ Door glazing. (Shouldn’t allow someone to gain entry
by breaking it and reaching in.)

______ Door viewer (without glazing). (Should have a wide angle
door viewer or other device to see visitors.)

______ Hinges. (Should be either on inside of door or protected
from outside removal.)

______ Stop molding. (Should be one-piece or protected from
removal.)

______ Deadbolts. (Should be single-cylinder with free-spinning
cylinder guard and a bolt with a 1-inch throw
and a hardened insert.)

______ Strike plates. (Should be securely fastened.)

______ Door openings (mail slots, pet entrances, and other
access areas). (Shouldn’t allow a person to gain entry
by reaching through them.)

______ Sliding glass doors. (Should have a movable panel
mounted on interior side, and a bar or other obstruction
in the track.)


Inside the Home

______ Fire extinguishers. (Should be in working order and
mounted in easily accessible locations.)

______ Smoke detectors. (Should be in working order and
installed on every level of the home.)

______ Rope ladders. (Should be easily accessible to bedrooms
located above the ground floor.)

______ Flashlights. (Should be in working order and readily
accessible.)

______ First-aid kit. (Should contain fresh bandages, wound dressing
and burn ointments, aspirin, and plastic
gloves.)

______ Telephones. (Should be programmed to dial the police
and fire departments quickly or their phone numbers
should be posted nearby.)

______ Burglar alarm. (Should be in good working order and
adequately protected from vandalism, and should
have adequate backup power.)

______ Safes. (Should be installed so they can’t be seen by visitors.)



People in the Home

______ Doors (locking). (Should be locked by all residents
every time they leave the home—even if they plan to
be gone for only a few minutes.)

______ Doors (opening). (Should not be opened by any resident
unless the person seeking entry has been satisfactorily
identified.)

______ Fire escape plan. (Should be familiar to all residents
as a result of practicing how to react during a fire.)

______ Confidentiality. (Should be maintained by all residents
regarding locations of safes, burglar alarms,
and other security devices.)

______ Money and valuables. (Should be stored in the home
only in small amounts and only if they have low resale
or “fencing” value.)

______ Drapes and curtains. (Should be routinely closed each
night.)

______ Garage doors. (Should be kept closed and locked.)


As stated,this may be more than you need for your situation but there are many here that may apply.

[spacejunk]

A high-priced lock may protect from picking or bumping but most break-ins are by forced entry. Doors are kicked in because of weak door frames, not weak locks. There are ways of reinforcing door frames to make them kick resistant. An advanced lock will be pick resistant, but so are other locks retrofitted with mushroom pins and Ilco Bump-Halt kits. Whereas an advanced lock might say "I must have something valuable", a normal-looking lock does not draw attention. If a criminal has to make more than one loud noise and it takes more time to get into your house then they might move on to some other house.

If you go with a safe--bolt it down! If a crook finds a safe they will likely try to haul it off to open later. Knew of one place that kept their business records in a safe, safe got stolen. They had no money in the safe but lost all their records.

An alarm system might make sense, no the police are not likely to show up right away, but it might get the neighbors looking. It might also get the crooks out faster, so maybe they would not find hidden things. It would also reduce the risk of walking in on a criminal unawares.

Thanks for the post. All entry door frames have been reinforced and the nice thing about the multilocks is they have a striker box and screws are driven into the doorframe through the rear of the box. I suppose I could have rekeyed the locks with security pins but I felt it still would not protect from bumping as well as the sidebar the multilock has.

[spacejunk]

Welcome to the forum! Hopefully you...heel...quickly (pun intended).
if it was something you could easily afford then I don't see a problem with putting the Mul-T-Lock in your deadbolt. I was entertaining the thought of getting higher security locks on my home, but then I thought about all of the other aspects and decided the investment wasn't worth it. A burglar could, and would, take the easier way in by just breaking a window or smashing in the door (if the door frame is just standard wood). If you're concerned about specific valuables I would recommend a high quality, heavy safe (Not safes you would buy at a big box retail store).
That being said, if it wasn't a big investment for you and it gives you peace of mind then you're fine. Getting into this hobby will always amaze the practitioner at how easy it is to circumvent physical security of locks, but keep in mind that most criminals are lazy and don't care to put work into learning such things.
You will learn all sorts of great things here.

Thanks for the welcome!

[spacejunk]

Home security is much more than good locks.
There are many things to consider.
It may be overkill for your situation but here are some general things to go over.
This is an excerpt from a book by Bill Phillips.

Home Safety and Security Checklist
By Bill Phillips


Home Exterior

______ Shrubbery. (Shouldn’t be high enough for a burglar to
hide behind—or too near windows or doors.)

______ Trees. (Shouldn’t be positioned so a burglar can use
them to climb into a window.)

______ House numbers. (Should be clearly visible from the
street.)

______ Entrance visibility. (Should allow all entrances to be
seen clearly from the street or other public area.)

______ Lighting near garage and other parking areas.

______ Ladders. (Shouldn’t be in the yard or in clear view.)

______ “Alarm System” or “Surveillance System” stickers.
(Shouldn’t identify the type of system that’s installed.)

______ Mailbox. (Should be locked or otherwise adequately
secured, and should show no name or only a first initial
and last name.)

______ Windows. (Should be secured against being forced
open, but should allow for easy emergency escape.)

______ Window air conditioners. (Should be bolted down or
otherwise protected from removal.)

______ Fire escapes. (Should allow for easy emergency escape
but not allow unauthorized entry.)

Exterior Doors and Locks
(Included here are doors connecting a garage to the home.)

______ Door material. (Should be solid hardwood, fiberglass,
PVC plastic, or metal.)

______ Door frames. (Should allow doors to fit snugly.)

______ Door glazing. (Shouldn’t allow someone to gain entry
by breaking it and reaching in.)

______ Door viewer (without glazing). (Should have a wide angle
door viewer or other device to see visitors.)

______ Hinges. (Should be either on inside of door or protected
from outside removal.)

______ Stop molding. (Should be one-piece or protected from
removal.)

______ Deadbolts. (Should be single-cylinder with free-spinning
cylinder guard and a bolt with a 1-inch throw
and a hardened insert.)

______ Strike plates. (Should be securely fastened.)

______ Door openings (mail slots, pet entrances, and other
access areas). (Shouldn’t allow a person to gain entry
by reaching through them.)

______ Sliding glass doors. (Should have a movable panel
mounted on interior side, and a bar or other obstruction
in the track.)


Inside the Home

______ Fire extinguishers. (Should be in working order and
mounted in easily accessible locations.)

______ Smoke detectors. (Should be in working order and
installed on every level of the home.)

______ Rope ladders. (Should be easily accessible to bedrooms
located above the ground floor.)

______ Flashlights. (Should be in working order and readily
accessible.)

______ First-aid kit. (Should contain fresh bandages, wound dressing
and burn ointments, aspirin, and plastic
gloves.)

______ Telephones. (Should be programmed to dial the police
and fire departments quickly or their phone numbers
should be posted nearby.)

______ Burglar alarm. (Should be in good working order and
adequately protected from vandalism, and should
have adequate backup power.)

______ Safes. (Should be installed so they can’t be seen by visitors.)



People in the Home

______ Doors (locking). (Should be locked by all residents
every time they leave the home—even if they plan to
be gone for only a few minutes.)

______ Doors (opening). (Should not be opened by any resident
unless the person seeking entry has been satisfactorily
identified.)

______ Fire escape plan. (Should be familiar to all residents
as a result of practicing how to react during a fire.)

______ Confidentiality. (Should be maintained by all residents
regarding locations of safes, burglar alarms,
and other security devices.)

______ Money and valuables. (Should be stored in the home
only in small amounts and only if they have low resale
or “fencing” value.)

______ Drapes and curtains. (Should be routinely closed each
night.)

______ Garage doors. (Should be kept closed and locked.)


As stated,this may be more than you need for your situation but there are many here that may apply.

Thanks for taking the time to post such a long checklist. I pass on everything that applies except for the stickers describing the alarm service I am using.

[G-lock]

I got into this hobby about a year ago & same as you i was shocked at how easy it was for me to rake my way into every lock in my house. I put high security locks on my doors mostly just to put my mind at ease. Everyone told me that a theif would just break a window or door so it was a waste of money but in my case i was worried about someone picking or raking there way in and then locking the door when they left leaving me to wonder how they got in & depending on what they took it may be awhile before i found out. At least if they break a door or wondow i know ive been had & they cant just keep coming back without it being known. That being said until recently i have lived in bad neighborhoods my whole life & have never seen a robber use a pick or rake.

[dll932]

Home security is much more than good locks.
There are many things to consider.
It may be overkill for your situation but here are some general things to go over.
This is an excerpt from a book by Bill Phillips.

Home Safety and Security Checklist
By Bill Phillips


Home Exterior

______ Shrubbery. (Shouldn’t be high enough for a burglar to
hide behind—or too near windows or doors.)

______ Trees. (Shouldn’t be positioned so a burglar can use
them to climb into a window.)

______ House numbers. (Should be clearly visible from the
street.)

______ Entrance visibility. (Should allow all entrances to be
seen clearly from the street or other public area.)

______ Lighting near garage and other parking areas.

______ Ladders. (Shouldn’t be in the yard or in clear view.)

______ “Alarm System” or “Surveillance System” stickers.
(Shouldn’t identify the type of system that’s installed.)

______ Mailbox. (Should be locked or otherwise adequately
secured, and should show no name or only a first initial
and last name.)

______ Windows. (Should be secured against being forced
open, but should allow for easy emergency escape.)

______ Window air conditioners. (Should be bolted down or
otherwise protected from removal.)

______ Fire escapes. (Should allow for easy emergency escape
but not allow unauthorized entry.)

Exterior Doors and Locks
(Included here are doors connecting a garage to the home.)

______ Door material. (Should be solid hardwood, fiberglass,
PVC plastic, or metal.)

______ Door frames. (Should allow doors to fit snugly.)

______ Door glazing. (Shouldn’t allow someone to gain entry
by breaking it and reaching in.)

______ Door viewer (without glazing). (Should have a wide angle
door viewer or other device to see visitors.)

______ Hinges. (Should be either on inside of door or protected
from outside removal.)

______ Stop molding. (Should be one-piece or protected from
removal.)

______ Deadbolts. (Should be single-cylinder with free-spinning
cylinder guard and a bolt with a 1-inch throw
and a hardened insert.)

______ Strike plates. (Should be securely fastened.)

______ Door openings (mail slots, pet entrances, and other
access areas). (Shouldn’t allow a person to gain entry
by reaching through them.)

______ Sliding glass doors. (Should have a movable panel
mounted on interior side, and a bar or other obstruction
in the track.)


Inside the Home

______ Fire extinguishers. (Should be in working order and
mounted in easily accessible locations.)

______ Smoke detectors. (Should be in working order and
installed on every level of the home.)

______ Rope ladders. (Should be easily accessible to bedrooms
located above the ground floor.)

______ Flashlights. (Should be in working order and readily
accessible.)

______ First-aid kit. (Should contain fresh bandages, wound dressing
and burn ointments, aspirin, and plastic
gloves.)

______ Telephones. (Should be programmed to dial the police
and fire departments quickly or their phone numbers
should be posted nearby.)

______ Burglar alarm. (Should be in good working order and
adequately protected from vandalism, and should
have adequate backup power.)

______ Safes. (Should be installed so they can’t be seen by visitors.)



People in the Home

______ Doors (locking). (Should be locked by all residents
every time they leave the home—even if they plan to
be gone for only a few minutes.)

______ Doors (opening). (Should not be opened by any resident
unless the person seeking entry has been satisfactorily
identified.)

______ Fire escape plan. (Should be familiar to all residents
as a result of practicing how to react during a fire.)

______ Confidentiality. (Should be maintained by all residents
regarding locations of safes, burglar alarms,
and other security devices.)

______ Money and valuables. (Should be stored in the home
only in small amounts and only if they have low resale
or “fencing” value.)

______ Drapes and curtains. (Should be routinely closed each
night.)

______ Garage doors. (Should be kept closed and locked.)


As stated,this may be more than you need for your situation but there are many here that may apply.

All very good suggestions. I would add that internet cameras are a good idea (but a subject in itself). I also like the idea of putting a deadbolt on the bedroom closet door as yet another barrier to protect valuables and even people in a pinch (don't forget the bring the cellphone in!).