At a recent locksmith meeting, sales and use tax was discussed. One locksmith had met with the California State Board of Equalization (B.O.E.), they examined his records and he was required to pay tens of thousands of dollars for unpaid taxes. According to information shared by he and others, since February 2009, locksmiths are responsible to charge tax on some of the services performed. This, according to California State Board of Equalization, Locksmiths Publication 62, which I will quote and paraphrase. " In general, tax applies to charges for fabrication labor, but not to charges for work considered installation or repair". They continue with examples of fabrication labor performed by locksmith include making new keys by...

Override pin tumbler lock cylinders are built into most of the access control locks in case the electronics cease to operate. Most of the newer, electronic locks have the override cylinder operation indicated as access granted in the audit trail. However, it cannot indicate a specific user. But when the question is asked, how secure are the mechanical override lock cylinders, most locksmiths consider them not nearly as secure as the electronics. For many, it is an evil necessity that you cannot order most locks without. Only a few locksmiths have the available resources to install an extra high security lock cylinder. Some will install a restricted keyway lock cylinder. Others have made use of pick-resistant top pins like mushroom or...

Daytime burglaries are on the rise. In fact, two friends homes were burglarized recently. Each is located on different sides of the country. The interesting part is the burglars according to law enforcement go into a neighborhood and pose as a sales person, gardener, etc. They knock on the front door and if someone responses, they leave. Going on down, they knock again, sometimes repeating the process until no one answers the door indicating no one is home. At this house, they attempt to gain entry by attacking the front door, back door or garage walk-in door. A second person can attempt entry at a different door. In both instances, they gained entry through the front door. Both homes have a view of the street. The entry is equipped...

The future of the automotive ignition is moving in two different directions, pushbutton (keyless) and high security mechanical. General Motors and Ford have been introducing models in the North American Market using high security mechanical ignition locks. These mechanical ignition locks are the sidewinder and Tibbe Locks. For Tibbe Locks, think Ford Mercur from the late 1980's. This is a turn-around from car manufacturers who removed the side bar from ignition locks. Vehicles equipped with pushbutton ignitions are available from just about every manufacturer. In the near future, a number of car manufacturers are scheduled to convert more of their models to keyless operation. It's cheaper as fewer parts are required and installed. There...