Line of Business
How to pick locks and escape handcuffs
Lock-picking champion Schuyler Towne gave crash courses in how to pick a lock and break out of handcuffs. Find out Towne's tips on which locks to look for and which to avoid for your own locker, apartment or home. Plus, the truth about deadbolts.10/9/2009 6:00:00 AM By: Jennifer Kavur
Schuyler Towne is sort of like MacGyver with a mohawk.
At the SecTor security conference in Toronto this week, the American lockpicking champion and editor of Non-Destructive Entry (NDE) Magazine gave attendees free crash courses in how to pick a lock, bump a lock, make a key impression and escape from handcuffs.
“Lock picking forensics was a completely dead art [in America in particular] until one of our people came forward and created Lockpickingforensics.com and reproduced some incredible work,” said Towne, who was presenting at the TOOOL LockPick Village.
The Open Organization of Lockpickers (TOOOL) is one of several lock picking organizations in North America that include Locksport International and the Fraternal Order of Locksport.
“The one uniting factor of all the groups is there is an extraordinary ethic preached across all of them,” said Towne.
The two basic tenets, explained Towne, are “never pick a lock you don't own” and “never pick a lock that's in regular use” because it can break. When Towne first learned how to pick a lock, he immediately tested his new skill on the front door to his apartment. “[I] broke it and had to sleep in the hallway,” he said.
Page Navigation 1) Escape handcuffs and pick locks in seconds. - Page 12) The ethics of lockpicking. - Page 2
3) Master locks "pretty miserable" but American Lock Company "great." - Page 3
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