tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85092179421158110522012-01-13T19:14:53.175-05:00Award-winning investigative journalist keys into the mom-and-pop locksmith industry and unlocks the problems facing it today. Problems such as: con artists and inexperienced sub-contractors posing as locksmiths, proliferation of phone directory and bogus online listings, online advertisers hi-jacking genuine locksmith identities, overburdened state licensing requirements or no licensing at all, all leading to a loss of work and consumer confidence.Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-8102939422031932862011-05-06T09:27:00.001-04:002011-05-06T09:31:37.355-04:00

Was reading Bob Ewing’s report on Breitbart presents Big Government entitled, “THIS IS IT: Will Florida Republicans Fight for Economic Freedom Tomorrow? His article questioned “whether Republican Senators will live up to their promises to remove job-killing regulations.....or cave in to power special interests and high-paid lobbyists?” Today, the Senate votes on HB 5005 which removes needless

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-23438333438771816022011-04-05T10:03:00.000-04:002011-04-05T10:03:49.762-04:00

Tom Lynch, the founder of the Society of Professional Locksmiths, copied me on an email he had sent to his state representative, Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, recommending she read my investigative report, Accurate Answers?, as well as the summary of the report detailed in my February 7 posting. Locksmiths in NY are currently fighting more regulation purported to combat criminals posing as

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-45455330315421908212011-02-07T08:35:00.001-05:002011-02-07T08:36:52.471-05:00

Reporter Stephanie Simon with the Wall Street Journal has written an excellent article entitled "A License to Shampoo: Jobs Needing State Approval Rise" about regulation of occupations and the reasoning or lack of reasoning behind it. It's a fascinating look at what is happening around the country and is worth the read. Click on the name of the article to link to the story. I did post the

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-18388451120181305022010-10-22T09:07:00.007-04:002010-10-22T09:27:37.468-04:00

Congratulations on being one of Top Physical Security Blogs. Your blog was a great resource that not only kept your readers up to date, but provided vital information for keeping their homestead safe. Just by blogging, not only have you raised awareness for those interested, but also provided a place to go for answers when looking to ensure the safety of their family.Thank you to the people at

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-66729348414525230232010-09-21T12:21:00.002-04:002010-09-21T12:21:00.291-04:00

The time for locksmiths to become involved, stay informed and unite against any attempt to license them is now. The effort to stay free from licensing will require infinitely less effort than complying with all the licensing rules should another attempt be successful. But if locksmiths can show they are alert, united and working to solve problems within their industry, any future assault to

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-12813107359739586492010-09-20T11:47:00.004-04:002010-09-27T18:22:26.315-04:00

Well, it’s been interesting having the summer off instead of just the two weeks I had planned. I really did have some conclusions to that big investigative story I had written, but when I submitted the article to my editor, Carol, it wasn’t pretty. “Call me right away before you post anything,” was the urgent message she’d left on my voice mail.I had written conclusions for both ALOA (Associated

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-17905729782370697002010-05-27T15:01:00.004-04:002010-06-01T05:19:01.269-04:00

Neglected Facts by FWCLA and ALOA:How locksmiths are trained.Florida locksmiths are professionally trained. Check out FWCLA’s website. Their website touts “Florida West Coast Locksmith Association is all about education.” They have trainings scheduled every month as do other associations. Strange how they didn’t mention that, but then it looks like only the Associated Locksmiths Of America (ALOA

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-20221930071896458802010-05-26T21:13:00.009-04:002010-05-27T09:50:26.269-04:00

Question 3 –continued The distinction about who is causing the problem is imperative since lawmakers need accurate information upon which to base their support or their votes. Senate analyst Mandy O’Callaghan said in an interview that Florida West Coast Locksmith Association (FWCLA) and Associated Locksmiths Of America (ALOA) presented committee members with a booklet of news articles as

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-83060925559262309322010-05-25T12:58:00.014-04:002010-05-27T15:19:06.173-04:00

Legislators review hundreds of bills each year and cannot be expected to know and understand how every industry works or what its needs are. One way they obtain information is to require that proponents of a bill supply answers about the impact and cost of the bill on a questionnaire called the “Sunrise Questionnaire for Groups Seeking New Regulation.”Proponents Tim McMullen of Associated

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-71342787660910622572010-05-24T16:46:00.000-04:002010-05-24T16:55:56.418-04:00

Tomorrow I’ll begin posting my three-part investigative report on how the Associated Locksmiths Of America (ALOA) and the Florida West Coast Locksmith Association (FWCLA) answered the Florida Senate’s 14 questions on the impact of the bill they proposed. The information is vital because if the proponents’ answers were flawed and unchallenged, as they were when no one opposed the legislation in

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-51627852088354654812010-05-07T15:48:00.009-04:002010-05-07T16:50:26.570-04:00

The 2010 Locksmith Services law (House Bill 301 and Senate Bill 658) died in committee on April 30, the last day of session. While Florida locksmiths are safe from the burdensome regulations for another year, it was closer to passing this year than last. The bills passed favorably through 2 of the 5 Senate committees and 2 of the 4 House committees. By mid-April, with only 2 weeks left in the

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-19673463161982018482010-04-10T09:59:00.007-04:002010-04-13T15:42:52.466-04:00

Last Tuesday the Florida Senate Community Affairs Committee passed unanimously SB 658 to impose strict regulations on Florida locksmiths. The hearing lasted just 2 minutes and 25 seconds and only one proponent spoke in favor of the bill – the bill’s sponsor Senator Victor Crist (R). Also on hand to speak was Florida West Coast Locksmiths Association lobbyist Janet Mabry. No opponents came to

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-11540299259729447052010-04-06T12:57:00.003-04:002010-04-06T13:12:25.308-04:00

The Senate Community Affairs Committee meets at 8 a.m., Wed., April 7, in Room 412-K of the Knott Building (404 South Monroe Street) to hear comments from those opposing or supporting SB 658 filed by Sen. Victor Crist (R) on behalf of Ken Kupferman, former ALOA president, but representing the Florida West Coast Locksmiths Association and Tim McMullen, ALOA Legislative Manager. This committee

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-18348975134981209762010-03-27T09:14:00.011-04:002010-03-29T16:59:49.271-04:00

I asked John Berlau, policy analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. to look at HB 301 and comment on how this law would affect the mom-and-pop locksmith businesses if this law passed in Florida. Berlau is a frequent guest on Fox News’ “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” CNBC’s “The Call” and “Closing Bell” and MSNBC’s “The Situation” with Tucker Carlson. Besides television

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-30633724908897699492010-02-08T11:36:00.002-05:002010-02-09T07:33:45.407-05:00

Happy New Year! Okay, it’s February so maybe I should say Happy Valentine’s Day. I’ve been on sabbatical and it’s been refreshing. Still writing, of course, just not focusing on the locksmith industry.It’s been an interesting year (11 months actually) writing a blog. But it’s been tough because blogs demand frequency and consistency. Investigative journalism doesn’t work that way. It requires

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-85629684143793058272009-10-31T06:44:00.004-04:002009-10-31T06:49:38.650-04:00

Reporter Mariann Martin of the Jackson Sun has reported that retired Marine and locksmith Troy Mitchell, 44, has died leaving behind a wife and seven sons. To read the entire story, go to:http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910310305

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-92210386532898753732009-10-30T10:34:00.003-04:002009-10-30T10:39:41.038-04:00

The Jackson Sun has published a lengthy story on Jackson, TN locksmith, Troy Mitchell, who was shot in the face Wednesday at 10 a.m. while working on a car parked in an apartment complex. For more information and photos of the crime, Mitchell’s life, family and business, what police think happened, reactions from his fellow locksmiths and how to help his family, go to:http://www.jacksonsun.com/

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-19261867492275825412009-10-20T18:34:00.003-04:002009-10-20T18:41:14.362-04:00

I significantly changed my website, http://www.find-a-legit-locksmith.com/, this week by removing all the locksmith listings and I’ll eventually take the site totally down. I had originally created the site by listing, for no charge, all the locksmiths that had registered for a business license. Any locksmith who wanted to add their phone number and website could pay an annual fee.I had assumed

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-79892376884908888992009-09-26T19:22:00.004-04:002009-09-27T14:56:35.215-04:00

The Door and Hardware Institute (DHI) has been holding a convention in the Orlando/Kissimmee area for the last two weeks. I went mainly to find some answers about the fire and life safety code classes taught by the institute.Code knowledge is an important topic since it’s just good business sense for locksmiths who do commercial work. No one wants to be responsible for someone’s death or injury

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-28269243280068229412009-08-24T18:55:00.001-04:002009-08-24T18:59:57.485-04:00

Alabama master locksmith, Stephen Chitwood, 50, admitted to police to burglarizing storage facilities in three states since October 2008 when he lost his job according to reporter Deborah Buckhalter with www.jcfloridan.com. Chitwood, who sold the items at a local flea market, said he’d take his dog with him to act as his lookout when he hit the storage facilities once or twice a week in Alabama,

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-43532335984184105352009-07-16T16:40:00.004-04:002009-07-16T16:49:43.269-04:00

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, (D), has about 30 days to sign into law a bill that will create a Board of Locksmiths to oversee and license the state’s estimated 2,000 legitimate locksmiths and to combat untrained sub-contractors from posing as such.The sub-contractors, working for call centers, defraud consumers with shoddy workmanship and bait-and-switch schemes. They have overwhelmed the

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-28665000556637936932009-07-11T10:47:00.002-04:002009-07-11T10:53:30.617-04:00

A major television production company is conducting a nationwide search for an outgoing family-run locksmith business for a new reality TV show. The show would be similar to The Learning Channel’s (TLC) American Chopper series of a family-run custom motorcycle business.According to the casting call posted on RealityWanted.com applicants must have at least 2 family members aged 25 – 45 working at

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-78307526117635614722009-06-20T15:03:00.005-04:002009-06-20T15:24:07.530-04:00

Dell Sterling, a Colorado locksmith, was interviewed for a story on locksmith fraud by Denver Post reporter Anthony Bowe. According to Sterling, up to three-fourths of the locksmith listings in phone and internet directories are from a handful of shady firms operating under dozens of names and phone numbers.That means he believes 25 percent of locksmiths listed are legitimate. I think his number

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-14857965027027046602009-06-05T10:35:00.003-04:002009-06-05T10:42:42.297-04:00

It’s always bothered me when legitimate locksmiths use several bogus names and websites to draw people to their service. I use the online name A-Florida-Locksmith.com on our website but say it right on the top of my site that it’s our online name. I list the legal name of our business as well (Martin Security Group, Inc.), however, I haven’t created additional websites with bogus names and had

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-25036810662330899082009-05-29T10:30:00.005-04:002009-06-20T15:38:47.656-04:00

When I came across the story of a Pop-A-Lock locksmith who was arrested and charged with bank robbery, (see May 12 post) I thought it would be an easy story.Interview the police chief.Find out if the perp had any prior arrests.Get a copy of the arrest report.Talk to Pop-A-Lock corporate about their franchise policies concerning background checks.Interview the Pennsylvania franchise owner to see

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-77858427952506515502009-05-22T14:58:00.004-04:002009-05-28T15:51:25.821-04:00

Ousted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich apparently did something right in 2006 when his administration suspended the locksmith license of Dependable Locks and its owner, David Peer for giving a fraudulent address on its license application, for failing to provide a list of its licensed staff and for failing to cooperate with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-86718703546522009432009-05-16T13:40:00.001-04:002009-05-16T13:44:49.856-04:00

Dealing with tax collectors and their staff getting the needed information on registered locksmiths has been interesting to say the least. Different counties have different ways of listing or not listing the information.My all-time favorite site thus far has to be Hernando County. Talk about user-friendly. They have only 19 locksmiths and besides the business name, and address and owner’s name,

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-15952760455248393972009-05-12T13:20:00.010-04:002009-05-13T14:46:57.400-04:00

Camp Hill, Pa. police arrested locksmith William Huck and charged him with bank robbery less than three hours after the crime occurred last Friday.Huck, who works for Pop-A-Lock, a 24-hour emergency locksmith service, was arrested at the Econolodge Motel where he lived.According the news story by Daniel Victor of The Patriot-News, bank tellers told police the man had been in the Camp Hill PCN

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-7289977844313929212009-05-03T18:10:00.003-04:002009-06-18T19:07:39.548-04:00

Finally, the new http://www.find-a-legit-locksmith.com/ site is up. I needed a place to begin posting the lists of legally registered or licensed locksmiths and the blog was just not going to be able to handle it.Did I say in a previous post that I would do this over the weekend? I forgot how graphically challenged I am. I needed grace, grace and more grace. Praise the Lord for templates! Even

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-57166366673237930082009-04-30T14:14:00.008-04:002009-05-02T09:12:55.749-04:00

When the Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA) issued a press release Tuesday to explain a recent change in their Code of Ethics concerning deceptive advertising, I began to wonder exactly how many of their 8,000 national members were violating the code. The previous code stated that members should "abstain from using improper or questionable methods of soliciting patronage..."According to the

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-70349707422547105512009-04-23T14:20:00.002-04:002009-04-23T14:22:55.532-04:00

Wow! I forgot how much time and effort it takes to create a new website, but I am making progress. I have several states ready to go and will post locksmiths in about 5 counties to begin with.Will keep you posted.

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-74014854839202113372009-04-17T14:10:00.001-04:002009-04-23T14:20:06.666-04:00

As promised in my April 2nd blog – Investigating Locksmiths? Moi?, I will start listing registered locksmiths, but not on the blog. This blog just doesn’t have the functionality I need to list the locksmiths by state and county.So I had to create a new website at and will be working on it over the weekend. Hope to have it up and running by then.I’ll begin with Florida’s 66 counties plus list

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-23177227823547941852009-04-09T10:14:00.010-04:002009-04-14T08:10:58.814-04:00

The New York Times has a blog called The Board written by a group of journalists on their editorial board. Last August I happened to read board member Verlyn Klinkenborg’s post entitled “A Bad Day.” It was a litany of exasperating experiences that piled up all in one day.Klinkenborg’s bad day began as he left for work. He found he was locked in his apartment with a deadbolt that wouldn’t

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-12967369864777031712009-04-05T07:21:00.008-04:002009-04-05T17:18:15.727-04:00

Right now two locksmith licensing bills are working their way through the Florida legislative process – SB 1844 in the Senate and HB 107 in the House of Representatives.The Senate bill is 30 pages long and the House bill is 31 pages long.While I believe some regulation of this industry is necessary, parts of the bills seem to be drawn with a wide brush. For example:Locksmiths can be denied a

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-48453011529065082462009-04-05T06:55:00.001-04:002009-04-14T08:17:52.669-04:00

Attorney General Chris Koster filed a lawsuit last Thursday to stop Dependable Locks, Inc. of Florida from fraudulent business practices. Koster is asking the court to approve an order which stops the company from advertising itself deceitfully with at least 16 different business names and bogus addresses and from charging consumers two to three times more than the price quoted for service. None

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-70989136866425821092009-04-02T07:57:00.005-04:002009-04-02T08:09:10.903-04:00

I know. I know. The title of my blog is The Locksmith Investigator, but that is really not what I’m doing. Genuine locksmiths don’t need to be investigated. Those who legally register with the state, county and city are doing every thing right.What I am investigating are the phony “locksmiths” or “locksmith” companies. I hate to even use the word “locksmith” with these scam artists. These are

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-9415830030326149842009-04-01T13:00:00.000-04:002009-04-02T07:31:09.843-04:00

Got a call from a local phone directory sales person this week wanting me to buy an advertisement in their “yellow” pages. First I asked her if we could advertise using our online business name, A-Florida-Locksmith.com instead of/ or in addition to our legal name which is Martin Security Group, Inc. She said we could as long as we showed her a business license with that name. When I said I didn

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-80054512527863883942009-03-31T09:58:00.000-04:002009-04-02T07:17:22.789-04:00

Did you read the blog post of the woman who got locked out and called a locksmith who scammed her? Actually, she was scammed twice and didn’t even know it. The original quote was a $45 service fee and $39 for the cheapest lock (very reasonable). After arriving the “locksmith” said it would cost $185 to drill out the high-security Arrow lock. (Not sure from the story if it was $185 additional or

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-59877092658887840362009-03-30T07:22:00.000-04:002009-03-30T07:28:58.724-04:00

You’ve just locked yourself and your children out of your home.You borrowed a neighbor’s phone book, picked out a locksmith and called him.What are the chances you've just called a sex offender working as a locksmith?How safe would you feel after he left?Think it can't happen? Think again.Anyone can unintentionally call someone of disreputable character in states that do not require licensing for

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509217942115811052.post-75425401798147462092009-03-29T19:45:00.000-04:002009-03-29T19:47:57.771-04:00

Okay, so you need a local locksmith. Quick!Using your phone directory or a city internet search, what’s the chances of you unintentionally calling a scam artist, an out-of-state company posing as a local locksmith or a pedophile in business for him-or-herself rather than finding a registered locksmith?Don’t know? Well, let’s try my city – Altamonte Springs, FL – a city of approximately 40,000

Barbara Haiss Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990596977412742170noreply@blogger.com0