Peterson International Tools located in East Rochester, NY has established themselves as a company offering specialized tools and devices for the professional locksmiths, security professionals and law enforcement. Delivering innovative concepts which provide solutions to specific issues facing the professional locksmiths, owner Ken Persson was happy to announce to the SOPL that he has done it again! Hard at work along side with Ken is his wife Patty, who continues to support the achievements of Peterson International in ways many of us take for granted. In a recent call to their facility Patty answered with her typical cheerful greeting. I sensed a bit of excitement in her voice and now I know why. Below they have shared with us a very interested tool development that I personally like and will be purchasing! After speaking with Ken, I am pleased to say that more new product announcements are coming and I know the locksmiths will be extremely excited.....so stay tuned into the SOPL News Blog for more! Great Job Ken & Patty!
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Locksmith pleads guilty to ID theft, denied trip to Israel to care for ailing dad. Joshua Burlin, who put a competitor’s locksmith business up for sale online, pleaded guilty to that felony identity theft in Dane County Circuit Court on Monday, then was denied permission to travel to Israel to care for his dying father while he awaits sentencing. Judge Nicholas McNamara denied Burlin’s last-minute request after accepting the guilty plea on two felony charges from the co-owner of Madison Locksmith. Burlin had also pleaded guilty to lying in a deposition about placing false information in an Internet review. Four additional charges of false swearing were dismissed, but the charges are to be considered when the judge sentences Burlin in April. He faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each count. Burlin’s plan to return to Israel to help his mother care for his father surprised assistant attorney general Eric Defort. He said the plea agreement requests unspecified jail time for Burlin, who has dual citizenship in Israel and the United States. His lawyer, John Schiro, told McNamara that if Burlin is not allowed to leave, “it is unlikely my client will ever see his father again.” The charges against Burlin were detailed in May 2009 Wisconsin State Journal articles that tracked his company’s use of phony addresses to attract lockout victims to expensive emergency service, using false names to file negative comments about competitors and putting Capitol Lock and Security, a competitor, up for sale on the Internet. Burlin co-owned Madison Locksmith, located at 825 E. Johnson St., with Shachar Elharar, of 301 Yellowstone Drive. They were named in a separate, civil lawsuit — also brought by the state Justice Department — with violating consumer protection laws by advertising phony business addresses, posting comments of fictitious consumers and telling customers they needed expensive lock replacements instead of repairs. In interviews, Burlin explained that the use of multiple addresses and business names was part of his marketing strategy. The pending civil charges seek unspecified restitution, forfeitures and costs. Article attributed to GEORGE HESSELBERG | ghesselberg@madison.com and the Wisconsin State Journal Additional information can be found at the Wisconsin Department of Justice - http://www.doj.state.wi.us/absolutenm/templates/template_share.aspx?articleid=2454&zoneid=1 Here is the criminal complaint -
Billy Ott was born on Saturday, November 23, 1940, in New York, New York. Ott was 21 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 4, 1962, with the Chicago Cubs. When he first stepped onto Wrigley Field, I was just a kid. Years later I found myself in front of a man with a stocky frame, and strong hands that looked as if they could squeeze the life out of you. To me he was just "Bill", a locksmith I had introduced myself to when I began my journey into the field of locksmithing.
Bill ran a vibrant lock and hardware business with his two sons which he was very proud of and would often brag about their skills in free hand mortising and automotive prowess. We would sit and talk for long periods of time and I would enjoy listening to the "old timer" as he would ramble off the nuances of complex locks and his days working in New York City when Segal Jimmy Proof locks and Medeco were everywhere. Watching his expressions and listening as he would roll back in time and share his wisdom gave me a sense that my time was well spent. Bill had also served as a police officer in New York City, something he never threw around or spoke of with embellishments. He was the strong and silent type so when he would take a seat at his workbench in the rear of his shop and invites me to sit, I was honored. I discovered a man rich with history, honor, love of family and country. Known as Papi to his grandchildren, he would shine with pride over the thought that he would be taking care of them after he would close his shop for the day. Bill is one of several mentors in my growth as a professional locksmith. I will never forget his advice at the time...."Save every little part, they come in handy when you need them." With that I would salvage everything imaginable and put them into parts bins, so much so that other locksmiths would laugh and say give the junk to Tom he takes anything! Late one night in freezing temperatures with little light in my service van, I remember the sinking feeling I had when a small retainer spring flew from the rear of a key-in-knob cylinder and disappeared into the darkness. After a few explicit remarks I sat down and remembered what Bill had taught me. Luckily, I had a replacement that I had salvaged from a discarded cylinder. It is amazing how the past is relevant, how old things have meaning and should not be forgotten and every little thing counts. Something as small as a spring and something as big as achieving playing in the major league! Billy Ott played for the Chicago Cubs! Although he would diminish this fact without fan fair in his humble way, he would on the other hand, praise the talent of those he played with as a teammate. To watch how he would squint his eyes as they would twinkle and purse his lips as he would describe the power or speed of another player was testament that this guy was the real deal. He admired them deeply. When I asked Bill about his salary, he would roll his eyes and laugh and say about $1500 a year! "Back then it was a privileged to walk on that field." he would say...a privilege. The date today is February 22, 2011 and it is "my" privilege to share my experience with Mr. Billy Ott. Although he is humble and considers his time in the majors minor, I would say that anyone who is given the opportunity to step onto Wrigley Field at a time when the entire major league had maybe 8 teams....was something to be proud of. Your a great guy Billy, and I am grateful for having you as a mentor and my friend. Enjoy your retirement and remember the Society of Professional Locksmiths is here whenever you want to pull up a chair and talk shop. Click this link to read more about Billy Ott. http://link-shrink.com/8732
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI RICHARD G. CALLAHAN United States Attorney February 18, 2011 For Immediate Release OWNERS OF FLORIDA LOCKSMITH SERVICE INDICTED IN SCAM TO OVERCHARGE FOR LOCKSMITH SERVICES St. Louis, MO: The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that the owners of a Florida based locksmith service were charged in a superseding indictment on multiple federal charges involving a scam to overcharge customers for locksmith services, as well as employing and harboring illegal aliens. According to the superseding indictment, Dependable Locks, Inc., headquartered in Clearwater, FL, managed a national network of locksmith technicians, operating from major population centers across the United States, including St. Louis. It also maintained a full-time staff of telephone operators and dispatchers, who were on duty 24 hours per day in Clearwater. The dispatchers received phone calls electronically forwarded from hundreds to thousands of telephone numbers listed nationwide for emergency locksmith services, all of which forwarded consumer calls to the call center in Florida. The dispatchers received the calls and the business dispatched locksmith technicians from the area of the call to respond. Many of the locksmith technicians working for Dependable Locks were aliens who were unlawfully present in the United States and were not authorized to work as locksmith technicians. The indictment alleges that the locksmith company engaged in deceptive marketing by purchasing directory listings and advertisements in cities across the United States that identified the business to the public as a set of local locksmith companies. The company’s listings used multiple business names, local phone numbers and fake local addresses that had no affiliation with the company. Phone calls to the listed phone numbers were automatically routed to the company’s call center in Clearwater, Florida. In addition, telephone operators for Dependable Locks were instructed by managers to mislead customers to believe that they would be charged around $54 for a car lockout, while the responding technician was instructed by managers to charge up to $179 for a lockout. Technicians used techniques such as accusing the consumer who objected to the overcharge of "theft of services," threatening to call the police, withholding the customer's keys or driver's license to compel payment or following the customer to an ATM machine to ensure payment. The locksmith technicians allegedly were allowed to split the profits of the fraudulently procured locksmith services with the company and were required to remit the company's share of the proceeds by regularly purchasing and shipping cash, checks and money orders to the Dependable Locks location in Clearwater, FL. "After more than a year of following numerous leads with ICE and the Missouri Attorney General's Office, we are pleased to see this case continue to progress," said Postal Inspector J.R. Ball of the St. Louis Field Office. He added, "The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is vigilant in investigating allegations where the mail or postal products are used to conceal or further a crime." DAVID PEER, Clearwater, FL; and ADAM OLIVKOVICH, address unknown, were indicted by a federal grand jury on one felony count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, five felony counts of mail fraud, one felony count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens for private financial gain and one felony count of engaging in a pattern of hiring unauthorized aliens. MOSHE AHARONI, Clearwater, FL, was indicted on one felony count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one felony count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens for private financial gain. Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a fine up to $250,000. Mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or a fine up to $250,000. Conspiracy to harbor unlawful aliens for private financial gain carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a fine up to $250,000. Engaging in a pattern of hiring unauthorized aliens carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and/or a fine of $3,000 per alien. In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges. This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorneys John Sauer and John Ware are handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. As is always the case, charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. There are all kinds of resources available to those wishing to learn the skills of locksmithing, and there are many avenues one can take to continue their professional development. Everyone knows this including myself. In my email inbox I read someones request for information which read more like a "I Dare Ya" then a serious desire to be enlightened. The author felt it necessary to point out that he felt the cost of participating in the Society of Professional Locksmiths and the Security Technical Institute was too much money compared to elsewhere.
I say...Compared to what? I have been involved in locksmithing now for 25 years and I am more then willing to learn about a service or program I may not be aware of, but I am pretty sure I have a pretty good grip on things and recently I released a real challenge to everyone to step up to the plate and actually walk the walk, instead of talking the talk. There is a difference! These types of unsupported remarks smack of someones absolute ignorance of what the SOPL and STI offers and their refusal to do the math as well as take the opportunity to experience things themselves rather then act as "sheeple" and act on rumors or listen to some misguided misfit in a censored forum group. So again I ask...Compared to what? There is no real comparison since the SOPL and STI are unique at this time for what is offered and what is done for its members. All one has to do is review the Video Tutorials to grasp how much value these programs offer as well as the incentives available to the participants and local association. Click on the following link to see one comparison....Competitive Advantage A dollar to dollar comparison for new start up training and continuing education cost is really easy. Let's take for example services which also offers some form of online C.E.U. credits for the locksmith. We will use, let's say $25 per C.E.U. as one example of what is charged by others I have researched. The SOPL offers a comprehensive 67.5 C.E.U. 13 Chapter structured program which is state accredited along with proficiency testing. Doing the math if you were to pay $25 per C.E.U. found elsewhere you would pay $1687.50. Wow, that's a lot of money! As a plus member of the SOPL you pay a one time fee of $300 with a $100 a year renewal option and you get the same 67.5 C.E.U.'s at no additional cost and if you do the math you will see each credit is only $5.93. Amazing savings, and the program is structured towards a certification. Even if a non member of the SOPL just wants to take a course offered for professional development or credits within the Security Technical Institute, they would end up paying $10.83 per credit for the same C.E.U.s listed under Option 3, so no matter how you slice it there is a huge difference. Compare the entire Locksmith Training Program to others for a person wanting to become a locksmith from scratch and they save approximately 50%! Using the new Live Virtual Classroom which SOPL offers, participants are seeing a 50-75% savings on classes they normally would have had to taken time off of work and travel long distances in order to participate....Do the Math! So let's stop with the "I dare you" messages...the SOPL has proven its value over and over, all you have to do is the math. I have taken your dares, will you now accept my Triple Dog Dare ya!? Be careful...once you do you may never go back! This day marks the start of the new year 2011 and with it comes the new opportunities for the professional locksmith and those wishing to learn a new trade. A renaissance has begun as a result of the achievements of the SOPL and those who stepped up to the plate and did what others said could not be done or what they could not, or would not do.
The "Unleashing of the Beast" begins today! The SOPL has a comprehensive training program with robust online proficiency testing with state approvals, it has a social network and social media platform packed with feature rich resources and communication systems, a live virtual classroom and a clean and professional discussion forum. But what makes this all interesting is that it is peer driven and the power to succeed is in the hands of the actual locksmiths not a centralized group operating with a broken 1950's model of command & control. Since the announced release of the Virtual Classroom, scores of locksmiths who have educational experiences to share have been reaching out to the SOPL to offer to teach others. Local associations have welcomed the new opportunities never made available to them before, and are looking forward to this new year to share these advancements with their members. The excitement of education from everywhere, and anyone at anytime is in the air and the locksmiths themselves are driving it without the need for outside intervention or legislation. Some have said bridges have been burned. Sadly, these are the same individuals who were dragging down the industry, crushing the forward momentum and opportunities of the locksmith. One thing that can be said in any walk of life and particularly in the locksmith industry, is that when someone is succeeding you will always have those who will try to prevent them from doing so. For the most part it is done out of ignorance, but some do it because they don't like the idea that others can achieve what they cannot. I have seen this behavior in many locksmiths in the field and on particular industry forums. The ease at which they bad mouth others or tell lies long enough that they become truth not only to themselves, but others is endless. So when someone says that "bridges have been burned", look at it as a good thing and embrace it with enthusiasm. Those flames are beacons in the night to help you avoid the tragedy on the other side. There are bridges in life that lead to nowhere and should be left behind. The SOPL has built a new road to travel, one with unlimited potential and opportunities for the locksmiths which is affordable, exciting and original. Those claiming bridges have been burned do so because they are left standing on the other side, numb and lifeless looking across the abyss at what they worked so hard at trying to pull down and failed. Burn Baby, Burn! There are times in life when all of us need to take a step back and do some self reflection. Recently, Chicago locksmith Mike Bronzell had such a moment. As Mike lay in a hospital bed fearing the worst and being given his last rites, he called me to reach out and say what I perceived to be his farewell. I explained to Mike that he did not have my permission to go anywhere and we talked into the late night. Mike was losing his liver and kidney functions and needed a transplant. As many of you well know, getting on a list for a donor and actually getting one takes long time.
As the days past along I would call my friend Mike to keep him encouraged and all I got was an voice mail. Being a realist, I feared the worst but kept the faith. I did of course not give my permission for him to fail and that means a lot, right!? After about 3 days of calling, I get a call from Mike and he sounds like a new man...sure enough he tells me that he had been given a double organ replacement in one operation! To say Mike was lucky is an understatement and to dismiss that an angel came down upon him and took him by the hand cannot be discounted. With the holiday season upon us, I think it is fair to say Mike was blessed. I am humbled by his good fortune and along with all the members of the Society of Professional Locksmiths we wish him a long and healthy New Year with a fresh start and new outlook on life and what really matters. Mike Bronzell is a recognized hero within the locksmiths industry and he is credited with being the driving force behind the exposure and ultimate prosecution of several locksmith scams throughout the United States. He suffered inappropriate character attacks as well as personal litigation as a result of his tenacity at bringing this issue to the forefront. Mike is a member of the Society of Professional Locksmiths and I applaud his strength and positive attitude. The last year has been a rough ride for him and I for one wish to thank the Angel who guided him home. You helped a lot of people Mike Bronzell, and it has come back to you in the form of an Angel....now go play LOTTO! If anyone would like to contribute to the "PENNIES FROM HEAVEN" donations to helps support Mike during his recovery, you can use this PAYPAL Donation Button . He is a single Father raising young active boys and I am sure it will help. Every little bit helps. See links below for more information about Mike. http://magazine.angieslist.com/locksmiths/articles/locksmith-complaints-are-on-the-rise.aspx Today I received and email from a person who stated they would not have anything to do with the SOPL because it was associated with a locksmith dispatch scam. WOW! I thought to my self did I do something with the SOPL that I forgot to tell myself about? I don't think so! After some thought I realized this person was referring to the 1-800-UNLOCKS relationship with the SOPL.
I think it is about time the facts are presented in a blunt fashion to dispel the ignorance of those who do not do their research or get involved in their industry enough to know the facts about services within their own peer group. 1-800-UNLOCKS is a legitimate nationwide locksmith DISPATCH network. It is not a scam operation like the ones being found in the news. 1-800-UNLOCKS has been around for a long time. They had some issues in the past with some operational problems and that has been corrected a long time ago and has nothing to do with any "scams" so in fairness and to show everyone how I am not a shill for them, I will say the only thing I don't like about 1-800-UNLOCKS is their website, which by the way I have openly criticized to them. So let see if I can help both the misinformed Locksmiths and the consumers about this service. It is a DISPATCH service which routes the consumers call DIRECTLY to the local locksmith registered in their network for the callers area. It is not a remote out of state SUB-CONTRACTED scam. What 1-800-UNLOCKS does is pre-screens real working locksmiths who chose to pay for a territory and be allowed to use the vanity number to route calls directly to their business rather then into a phone bank. So, the consumer actually gets an established locksmith in their neighborhood, not some dispatch center a 1000 miles away who sends out some guy who is 2 hours away and has no clue about the skill sets or craft of locksmithing. So to set the records straight, 1-800-UNLOCKS works for those locksmiths who take the effort to market the vanity number in their territory because the calls come back to them and help to promote a professional franchised image without the cost of a franchise fee and the consumer is serviced professionally. To the best of my knowledge, 1-800-UNLOCKS maintains a standard of performance and if they fell a provider is not operating above board, they reserve the right to pull the territory. Do a Google search and you are not finding locksmiths registered with 1-800-UNLOCKS involved, period. So I am completely comfortable having 1-800-UNLOCKS associated with the SOPL since they are not a scam in my opinion and others in this business who know what it is about. I actually believe that if misinformed locksmiths spend more time opening their mind to the idea of what 1-800-UNLOCKS could do to improve their image and bottom lines then they would be better off doing it. In the face of real scams that are going on, 1-800-UNLOCKS is the locksmiths secret weapon to create their own threaded cooperative network to combat these scams and recapture the call volume that has been lost to this nationwide dilemma. It all comes down to marketing which many locksmiths are just flat out terrible at doing, and that is a subject for another days blog post. The Society of Professional Locksmiths is "Unleashing the Beast in 2011"
As part of the initiatives I set into motion for the society, there is the "steering committee." Up until now member contributions and input came in enthusiastically by members and collated and executed by myself or our team members system administrator Harvey Arkawy of www.rabbitsoft.us. myself and Mr. Mark Hedspeth, the IT Guy and good friend. A formal steering committee is now assembling to approach the positive demand for more of what the SOPL can do to help the locksmith community and to implement more industry involvement. This collective body will consist of recognized industry contributors, mom & pop locksmiths and just about anyone else who has the energy and creative enthusiasm to "make things happen." The SOPL is not a dinosaur who is stuck in mud and there will be no massive grid lock in the form of a "board" where politics are played. The goal of the steering committee is to get things done and do so with rapid consensus and execution using technology along with PEER resources from within the locksmith industry. The New Year is quickly approaching and I look forward to having this new steering committee on board and formally announced. Change is a positive thing if they implement changes to the work already put into the SOPL and it makes it better, then I look forward to my vacation! When the SOPL first began to offer a "members area", it was available for open participation and a no cost membership. After a long period of time this opportunity ended and those professional locksmiths who signed up before the cut off date and completed their profiles now have their membership expiration date "reset" to reflect another year at no cost to them. So as the New Year roles around, you all have a fresh start to go along with those FREE training classes. As the saying goes, you snooze - you lose!
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