Lockpicking Ethics From Industry Professionals

Locksmithing has a code of ethics that goes back centuries

The First Rule Of Ethical Lockpicking

This may sound obvious, but lock picking should never be used for thievery and destruction. Of course, no locksmith in his or her right mind would ever think of risking their license doing something illegal, but another big no-no is helping out someone whose intentions may not be legitimate.

Locksmiths have to be careful who they help, and who they teach their valuable skills to. For this reason, they are pretty tight jawed about what they do. A locksmith has to complete a certification course, and part of the course is learning the ethics of the trade. You guard your trade secrets with your life, and never share your expertise with anybody.

Whose House Are You Helping Whom Into?

Another serious ethical issue that faces a locksmith on a regular basis is to determine who you're helping, and whether the property is theirs or not. For example, you've got a lock-out in the middle of the night. The guy that's called you is standing outside his house in his bathrobe, no ID or anything. How do you know he's really living there?

You get to be an expert at reading a person and telling everything you can by impression. You get observant, so that you can look around at the state of things and see if it looks legit or not. For example, is a TV or any lighting on, or is the house all shut up and quiet? Can the guy prove that it's his house or car?

The easiest way around this is to simply ask for an ID. No ID means you don't pick the lock. In this day in age, this is what most locksmiths do. After all, if you help somebody break into a house or steal a car, the responsibility falls on you and you can't cry about how you were duped.

No Destructive Entry

Most lock pickers practice the rules of "no destructive entry", which means that no matter how stubborn a lock gets, you never drill through it and tear the door apart. Of course, there's a liability if you destroy somebody's property. But for most locksmiths, it ruins the whole idea of what you're doing. After all, you should be able to tackle any lock out there. Anybody can tear a door apart.

Every locksmith has to abide by industry-wide ethical standards, but they also have to make their own rules about what's right and what's wrong. The code of ethics is important to any serious professional.