28 Keynotes December 2024 aloa.org INVESTIGATIVE SPOTLIGHT GET PUBLISHED! IAIL members: Submit your articles for the Investigative Spotlight department. Send your information to Tom Demont at [email protected]. The Future of Our Industry O UR KEYNOTES THEME this month is “Future of the Industry.” What can we expect in the coming years, how should we prepare for the future, and — perhaps most importantly — how can we shape our future? Inside the investigative locksmithing realm, there is good reason to believe that the future can be bright. I consulted with Tom Demont, who has pointed out that investigative locksmithing is its own specialty career within the locksmithing profession. It intersects with the highly technical and professional field of foren- sics, but it is also its own field of study. It is an area that professional forensic investigators and attorneys typically have limited experience with. This career requires the best of the best in locksmithing, stretching our skills to demanding professional standards that derive from the investigative and legal communities. This career requires such in-depth knowledge that the field can be broken down even further into specialized sub-disciplines. Perhaps the most active or in-demand of those sub-disciplines is automotive. With luxury and collectible cars costing six figures and more, there is serious demand for qualified investigative automotive locksmiths. According to Tom’s experience, the second-most sought-after skill set for investigative locksmithing is for doors, frames, codes and hardware expertise. Finally, safe and vault investigations continue to be a highly tuned field of knowledge as well, requiring many years of experience in this field. Some real-life examples of cases given to investigative locksmiths are: Reports of stolen vehicles Swinging door injuries Automatic or sliding door injuries Door closer injuries Safe opening determinations Safe lock malfunctions Door lock malfunctions Cylinder lock opening determinations Padlock openings Fire door and life safety code violation liabilities Have we missed any? Let me know. If you are one of the few studying the skills to stay current and certified in these specialized disciplines, as a forensic or investigative locksmith, you can distinguish yourself, build an impressive CV to establish a highly professional brand and attract a unique clientele. Professionalism and success breed more customer demand and even greater success. All the trends toward specialization and differentiation will be increasingly important in the future. As products, tools, attack techniques, and knowledge become more and more specialized, and as liability damages grow and the world becomes a more dangerous place, inves- tigative locksmiths will need to work hard to stay ahead of the curve. Educa- tion, networking, certification, special- ization and dedication will become even more critical. Choose your area, study, do the research and succeed. As for the future, what might be best of all about investigative locksmithing? AI won’t be replacing this expertise any- time soon! Clyde T. Roberson, CML, AHC, CPP, CMST, CFMST, AMKS, is president of the International Associ- ation of Investigative Locksmiths. Email him at [email protected]. All the trends toward specialization and differentiation will be increasingly important in the future.
