The Beauty of Locks

Sometimes, the simplest deterrent to crime is the best: keep things locked! Mechanical locks and keys are inexpensive and need no electricity. They will deter the casual intruder and slow down even the most expert criminal.

Police records show that:

• 82% of all crimes happen through the door.
• 14% of crime is through the window or slider.
• 4% is broken glass.

This means that we can prevent 96% of all crime simply by using good door and window locks.

Don’t Be Fooled
All locks are not the same. If you’ve been getting your locks from a hardware store or other mass outlet, you are not providing a serious deterrence against crooks, you have no control over who has keys to your locks, and over the life of the installation, you are probably paying more than you would from a locksmith for professional grade locks and keys.

We recommend Medeco brand locks and keys. These are considerably more secure than any regular system. Medeco has figured out many of the ways a burglar would try to break in, then the locks have been strengthened accordingly. (See next page, Eight Ways A Burglar Can Open Your Door.) Even the keys are special, with three crosscut angles that can’t be duplicated by a local key-copy place. This means that you must get duplicates at a Medeco dealer, and records are kept. It’s also easy for us to change just the keys and lock cylinders (not the whole lock) whenever you need to rekey because of a change in ownership, tenants, or to ensure against misuse of lost keys. This gives you more control and lower costs for years to come.

Ask yourself:

• Do you know who has keys to your locks right now?
• Do you allow contractors, hired help and others to borrow your set of keys?
• Is it OK for those people to get their own duplicate keys?
• The last time you went to Wal-Mart or a hardware store for a key, did they ask you for ID?

The Inside Secrets of a High Security Lock.
Here’s a close-up look at the insides of a Medeco (top), versus a hardware store lock (bottom). Medeco locks are high security because of the three vital features they include: pick resistance, physical strength, and key control.

Update Your Locks!
Thirty percent of all burglaries are unlawful entry without force - meaning the thief had a key! When it’s time to replace or improve your locks, what would you rather have us do? If you insist, we can rekey your locks in a standard design that lets anybody duplicate your keys. But we recommend you let us rekey in a locksmith design (using Medeco or their KeyMark brand) in which only you can get your keys duplicated. What’s the additional cost? Minimal, by comparison, to the losses or harm you could incur. In fact, it's much less than what you would pay for your child's sneakers that you will throw away in six months!

While you’re at it, getting rid of any hardware store locks will not only strengthen your security, but also save you money in the long run. Why? Some cheap locks must be thrown out because they can't be rekeyed. With better locks, like Medeco, you simply replace the “guts”, the internal locking pins, to match a new key.

We sell only premium brands. They are not only safe, but they add beauty and “curb appeal” to our building. Ask us about the most economical way to replace your old, non-secure locks.

This is also the time to consider stepping up to “keyless” entry. We can provide you with a wide range of electronic combination locks, or “smart” devices such as proximity cards and finger (and face, hand, voice, etc.) recognition systems.

For added motivation, read on about the Eight Ways A Burglar Can Open Your Door.