Locksmiths want tighter regs

Convicts carry lock picks. Out-of-state companies are stealing local locksmiths’ phone numbers. Unlicensed locksmiths are overcharging customers.

State and national locksmith groups say these actions could continue if no regulations are imposed on the locksmithing industry.

“It’s a huge misnomer that locksmiths are licensed, and barring a major catastrophe, people in general won’t push for it,” said Jonathan Mead, president of the Maryland Locksmiths Association.

“The door is open to those kind of things, especially as technology progresses.”

The only regulation on locksmiths is having a business license, which permits a company to operate but does not require a background check or address skill level, allowing convicts who legally cannot carry lockpicking tools to enter the profession, said Tom Foxwell, regional director for the Associated Locksmiths of America. Anyone can pose as a locksmith and could either commit a crime or bilk money from customers, Mead said.

Locksmiths say they are hoping a bill in the upcoming General Assembly session will put the industry under the state’s watch.

“I truly believe [the state] will get more money out of the regulations than it would spend,” Foxwell said.

Though the bill is still being fashioned, it would require locksmiths and alarm companies to be licensed in the same category under the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulations. It would likely require background checks, certification and legitimate operation in the state, officials said.

“It’s very rare an industry wants to be regulated,” said Del. James King, R-Anne Arundel, who will introduce the bill in January.

“The industry as a whole has unified themselves, and customers deserve the right to know who’s coming out to fix their locks is legit.”

But the Maryland Retailers Association has opposed previous versions of the bill, because the bill may require licenses for key making, which along with safecracking and lock replacement is one of the services provided by locksmiths.

“We have to protect the small guy that makes money from making keys and fixing locks,” said Jeff Zellmer, the association’s legislative director. “[Locksmiths] want to protect their industry to keep others out.”

But both sides are looking for compromise. Locksmith leaders say they would likely exclude key making, and Zellmer said previous amendments that exclude key-making services at big-box stores have been accepted by the association.

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” Foxwell said.

jflanagan@baltimoreexaminer.com

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