Supplemental locks should be expected to be found on the rear door of almost every commercial occupancy. The truck crew or team assigned to the rear of a commercial occupancy should show up prepared with the proper TRAINING, tools and equipment to be able to defeat any supplemental locks they may encounter. While the proper set of irons is almost unstoppable in the hands of a well trained crew, sometimes the rear door still presents us with some additional challenges that may require some additional tools (like the heavy irons or rotary saw.)
We always advocate the Identify and Visualize mentality when forcing the door. First you must attempt to identify what (if any) supplemental locks exist, and when forcing the door you must visualize (by sight and in your mind) what your are trying to accomplish with your tools in order to defeat the door. An unprepared crew can easily be identified on the fireground as the ones just beating on the door with no rhyme or reason. The end result is almost always a heavily damaged, undefeated door with the worn out crew standing beside it wondering what went wrong.
Aaron Anderson and Jarred Hackler from Hastings (NE) sent in these photos of a homemade supplemental lock they recently found on the rear door of a commercial occupancy.
From the outside all that is noticeable is a small piece of metal in the middle of the door. This should alert us to the presence a supplemental lock, but more importantly, it should tell us that it’s probably a homemade lock. Just by looking at the outside, what is your plan to defeat it?
As you can see from the inside the lock is a simple but effective pivoting cross bar. The bar swivels into the two cuts made into the door jamb. Now that you’ve seen the inside, what is your plan to defeat it?
Now take closer look at the outside…
If you look close at the scratches on the door you can see that the small piece of metal outside the door actually rotates when the interior bar is pivoted. Simply rotating this piece counterclockwise from horizontal to vertical should disengage the interior bar from the door jamb and the supplemental lock is out of the equation. If not, a simple plunge cut with the rotary saw at a 45 degree angle to the middle of the outside metal plate will cut the bolt connecting the inside and outside pieces together, and also defeat the lock.
Sometimes we just need to take the extra second or two and figure out the lock before we start forcing it. Once we get engaged in the force, we tend to stop thinking about alternatives, and get tunnel vision. However, we are trained professionals and cannot allow this to happen!
So get out and learn your area and more importantly, train with the tools.. Slow down, Identify and Visualize, and you’ll be much more successful in forcible entry.
Hehe…I’d like to think that the supplemental lock (bar) rotates independantly on the center pivot otherwise it’s a pretty useless lock.
Not only that….Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.
I doubt it. Otherwise there probably wouldnt be those scratches in the door. I was thinking it would be just as easy to knock the head off, and punch it through with the pick. It would simply just fall away and the problem is solved.
I figure the scratches are from guys spinning the flat stock just hoping that it’s welded in place to the interior mechanism. It’s also my guess that there is a “stop” welded on the bolt on the inside to stop outward (pulling) pressure from biting on the bar and therefore “gripping” it.
But that’s just if I made it….
🙂
Ryan, the bar would still be set in the jamb, so taking out the bolt probably wouldnt solve the problem. Unless you’re seeing something Im not? Not being a smart ass, we found a similar security device on a door in my first due area 🙂 (sorry had to.) It was sort of the same deal where there was a bolt in the middle of the door that didnt belong. I vote for a doggy door cut with a big ass saw’r.
DMAN, the bar would still be set in the jamb but if we knock the bolt loose the door would swing out away from the bar.
I was thinking doggy door cut as well.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, Im an idiot!!! I never even thought about that. Thanks, man! Not to go off on rant, but that’s why I always tell people “That’s why we work in pairs.” Because one might see something the other one doesnt.
Lol…it’s okay DMAN. It looks like a wooden jamb though, no matter what, I think this looks like an easily defeatable device.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB-fyQkb9OA
‘Nuff said!
i have a question . i watched video on here a while back that showed how to trip a panic bar from the outside of a metal door…all they did was cut a hole with a rotary say and stick a thin object in and trip the bar … couold the same thing be used here just lift instead of pull… please let me know … god bless and stay safe
AND WHEN I SAID HOLE I MEANT SLIT … MY BAD
Giggity….
It’s a $0.99 lock on an outward opening door. Use irons and force it. The inside bar looks like flat 3-4″ bar stock. It will flex/bent enough to open the door, at least enough to drop a wedge in. Nothing fancy, just use what you have. If it turns out to be something stronger, attack the hinges.
Yeah, and, it looks like it might be a painted wood jamb anyhow.
It looks like there is some rust on the jamb indicating its metal.
Manufatrued metal building, most likely metal jamb. I’d go with the irons and conventional first. If not working, attack that cover plate and see what you’ve got.
Then again, who can argue with a well-placed DK? No one, not even Chuck Norris.
I figured the rust was possibly just runoff from the hinge. I’m probably wrong though. I thought the toolboard on the left was a plywood wall.
holmatro and crank it open.
Donkey kick? On an outward swinging door?
In my opinion, Conventional irons would work or rotary saw the carrige bolt head and then the deadbolt. Though slightly different looking, this is just a different type of drop bar security system.
Nice post Aaron and Jared!
The DK’s just a long-running joke and often suggested remedy to any situation. Interesting setup, I was wondering where my mower blade went.