Modus Operandi by Mauro Corvasce (universal ebook reader txt) 📕

so-called bait packs. Bait packs are designed to explode and release a tear gas and dye stain when you remove them. The tear gas is used to slow the getaway and the dye stain is to contaminate the valuables as well as mark the safecracker. This dye stain cannot be washed off the proceeds and will remain on a person for quite a while.

As we stated earlier, most of the safes we have encountered were opened by sheer force. The amateur will spend a great deal of time attacking the hinges on the door to gain entry. This attempt is totally useless because the locking bars that go through the safe door into the safe walls maintain the seal and integrity of the door. The only function of the hinges is to hold the door onto the safe when the door is opened or closed.

We believe that a criminal feels it is a lot easier to perform an armed robbery than to go through all the trouble and physical labor required to open a safe.

Our criminal, after going through one hell of an exhausting night, is resting comfortably in his own bed with the proceeds safely tucked underneath the mattress. The next thing he realizes is the police crashing through his door and arresting him. You ask how they got him so quickly? Well, he left his wallet at the scene and because he was so exhausted with all that physical labor, he forgot it.

Lockpicking

Picking a lock is not as easy as it looks on television and in the movies. While it is true that one can open some door locks with a credit card, most locks are much more complex. The common locks found in doors, cars, desks, filing cabinets and some small safes have what are known as pin tumbler locks. These locks offer a medium level of security protection.

Pin tumbler locks contain a series of small pins. These are the tumblers, held in place by other pins, which are

called drivers, and the drivers are held in place by a series of springs. When the key for that lock is inserted, all the tumblers are driven to a certain point. This point allows the key to turn and the lock to unlock. The better the lock, the higher degree of tolerance that is needed between the key and the lock contacts. The degree of tolerance is how snugly the key must rest against the tumblers.

Pin tumbler locks are ones that can be picked. But a good portion of the time, the locks are stronger than the door, and therefore the door will be smashed to gain entry. On doors that are installed improperly, that is, with hinges exposed, the hinge pins will be removed, and the door will then be opened from the hinge side.

Lock experts, both legitimate and criminal, state that lockpickers must have a certain degree of dexterity. If you are clumsy and don't work well with your fingers, you will never become a lockpicker. To pick a lock one must practice, practice and practice some more. Well-made key locks require more talent than key locks that are found on desk and file cabinets.

One practices this craft by purchasing or, better yet, stealing the locks. Once these locks are obtained, our crooks practice until they get it right. When they are proficient, a door lock can be picked in as little as seven seconds. The whole key to this is putting just the right amount of pressure on the tumblers.

Before we describe how locks are picked, let's give you an inside tip on what burglars do to give them more time to escape when you arrive home a little earlier than planned. They place small pieces of broken toothpicks in the keyhole after they enter. The reason for this is your key will not fit into the lock, so you cannot enter your home. The noise that you make trying to open your door will alert our burglar that you are home.

If you were to pick a lock trying to maintain a degree of silence, you would use two items. The first item is a pick, which comes in a variety of sizes and shapes and is made from spring steel. Picks are either homemade or can be ordered from a catalog. The purchased picks are a lot better because they give you more variety. Picks are straight, curved or have different shapes cut into them. Obviously, the greater variety of picks, the greater versatility in the locks you can pick.

The second tool is a tension tool. The tension tool also comes in a variety of shapes and is made from spring steel. The tool is used to control pressure on the lock during the whole procedure. The tension tool will be turned in the direction the lock opens. We all have seen our special secret agent in the movies picking a lock with just one simple tool. This cannot be done, you need both the pick and tension tool. The tension tool is sometimes referred to as a tension wrench. This tension wrench keeps tension on the cylinder and assists in turning it to open the lock.

To review, the pick is slid into the key hole. It is manipulated to raise the pins to their opening point. The tension tool is directly below the pick and keeps pressure on the pins while rotating. The pressure that the tension tool causes holds the pins in their open position. The lockpicker feels the vibration of the pins in his fingers and hears a distinctive click.

Other items can be substituted for the pick and tension tool. The tension tool can be made from a strong steel wire with the tip bent slightly or perhaps a small jeweler's flat-head screwdriver, again with the tip altered. The pick can be made with strong safety pins with the end sanded smooth. The one good thing about using a safety pin pick is that it could be easily hidden and looks harmless