Tag Archives for " key control "

Tether Technologies and Codelocks Americas Partnership…

CODELOCKS AMERICAS ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH TETHER TECHNOLOGIES

Providing a fully comprehensive key management solution

Irvine, Ca – (October 30, 2019) – Codelocks Inc., a leading access control company that designs and distributes innovative, standalone keyless door locks and access products, announces a strategic partnership with Tether Technologies, a developer and manufacturer of digital tethering solutions for master keys and access cards. The challenge in the industry is to prevent keys from being lost while on the job, Tether Technologies’ focuses on ways to address and resolve human error associated with master key loss.

In 2015 Tether Technologies developed Gravity®, the only industrial-grade, digital tethering device that electronically ties keys to its user to remain in the proximity of the tether. Gravity works by linking cards/keys via an electronic signal to avoid keys being lost from the start. Upon breaching the approximately 20-foot radius – distance may vary depending on the building or wireless interference – Gravity’s unique alarm, vibration and strobe light are triggered to alert users to quickly retrace steps to recover the key unit.

When combined with Key Secure by Codelocks, a key control cabinet that utilizes coded access to authorized persons, it becomes a fully comprehensive solution. The key cabinet will store and manage keys, while Gravity helps to prevent those keys – when removed from the cabinet – from the risk of being misplaced. To connect keys, the user simply presses a button and lifts the Key Unit up and out from the Belt Unit. Once removed, Gravity activates and the Key Unit flashes once, indicating it is now in electronic communication with the Belt Unit.

“We understand the importance of having a complete key management solution, including preventing the potentially extreme cost associated with losing master keys,” states Matt Welty, general manager for Codelocks Inc. “We are committed to this product and uniting both of our key management technologies to help more individuals, campuses and businesses with their security systems.”

“We are excited to partner with Codelocks, a global company that is well-known and respected in the industry,” said Randy Neely, founder of Tether Technologies, Inc. “As the number of lost master keys continues to increase in an array of environments across the country, the joint presence of Codelocks and Gravity will allow this advanced solution to become standard equipment protocol in the world’s largest facilities.”

Codelocks is now an authorized dealer of the Gravity key tether solution. For more information on Codelocks and Gravity, please visit, Codelocks and Gravity by Tether Technologies

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About Codelocks Inc.

Codelocks Inc. designs and distributes a wide portfolio of innovative, standalone keyless door locks and access products for a range of growing markets. Products include stylish push-button mechanical locks, digital electronic locks, KitLock locker locks and smart lock solutions, which are developed for users to manage and operate using a keypad, card and smartphone. Codelocks’ Americas office is located in California, with headquarters in the U.K., distribution and office in Australia, and a worldwide network of distributors. For more information, visit http://www.codelocks.us/.

For more information, contact:
Lynda Murphy

Murphy Knott Public Relations, Inc.

[email protected]
(312) 867-9177

Key Control an Issue for Custodial Contractors at Chesterfield Virginia School District

Complaint forms via the Freedom of Information Act were obtained by the Chesterfield Observer showing Chesterfield Virginia school system staff sometimes has no knowledge of where master keys are.  In addition to unsecured exterior doors, the documents suggest “key control” also has been an issue for the custodial contractors. One entry notes a school’s set of master keys disappeared and wasn’t found for more than two weeks. Keys to interior and exterior doors also have been misplaced at multiple schools.

Under terms of the contract all four custodial companies signed in April, the school system is permitted to charge $250 for each exterior door the contractors’ employees fail to lock prior to completing their assigned duties and leaving the building.

Tim Bullis, a spokesman for the school system, said in an email last week that it “continues to work on a corrective action plan,” but didn’t offer specifics about what such a plan might entail. The inability to secure exterior school building doors overnight is not a new issue in Chesterfield. The school system’s first two custodial contractors each were cited for dozens of such instances, among many other performance-related problems they encountered over the first four years of the outsourcing program.

Click here for the full article.

Comments:  Unfortunately, this issue of lack of adequate key control in school facilities is a common one that we frequently hear of.  Any Board of Directors, school Principal or staff, or concerned parent may contact me directly at [email protected] to receive a free copy of “The Key to Keys” which outlines a prudent and cost-effective protocol for properly securing keys to protect our schools and students. 

USPS Master Keys aka Arrow Keys Are Stolen

Two arrested in Granite Bay with bogus credit cards allegedly stole 39 identities

BY MICHAEL MCGOUGH

A man and a woman were arrested last week in Granite Bay, accused of stealing the identities of at least 39 victims, Placer County Sheriff’s Office officials said Saturday in a news release.

Toni Tinay, 23, of Pittsburg and 36-year-old Matthew Core, of Vallejo, were stopped at the intersection of Sierra College and Douglas boulevards, near Safeway, by sheriff’s deputies who noted their vehicle as suspicious, according to the news release.

With Tinay having warrants in two Bay Area counties, deputies searched the vehicle. The car contained checks, credit cards and USPS master keys — all stolen, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Sorting through the stolen checks and credit cards, officials determined there were 39 victims of identity theft.

Core and Tinay were also in possession of illegal drugs and a credit card re-encoder. According to the sheriff’s officials, this is a device that can transfer credit card information from a legitimate card onto the magnetic strip of a different card.

An internet search shows that a re-encoder can cost anywhere from $20 to $200, depending on the quality and purpose of the device.

USPS master, or “arrow,” keys allow access to things like apartment lobbies, communal mailboxes and more. Federal law states that unlawful possession of a USPS arrow key can carry punishment of up to 10 years in prison.

Core and Tinay were arrested on suspicion of identity theft, with bail set at $375,000 and $160,000, respectively.

Comments:  This is very alarming that USPS master keys or “arrow” keys that can open access to apartment lobbies and communal mailboxes were stolen.  What are the key control protocols the USPS uses and what failed to allow these master keys to be stolen? USPS might be the largest master key holder in the U.S. and proper security of these master keys is paramount.  If you know how USPS master  or “arrow” keys are secured, please email me at [email protected].

Men Pose as Maintenance Workers, Steal Master Keys to Back Bay Building

BOSTON – Two men pretending to be maintenance workers stole a set of master keys and got into a Back Bay apartment building, according to police. The two men, a 59-year-old man from Medford and a 30-year-old man from Cambridge, were arrested at a Commonwealth Avenue apartment building around 10 a.m. Monday. The men were found in the building, according to police. Boston police say the men used a set of stolen master keys to get in while posing as maintenance workers for the building’s management company. Both men have been charged with breaking and entering and possession of burglarious tools. – August 29, 2018

Comment: While this article provides no information on how the thieves obtained the apartment building master keys, we can presume there was either a breach in key control protocols or their key control program was not fully developed.  In order to verify that your key control program is adequate and  master keys are not in jeopardy of being lost or stolen, please refer to Chapter 7 of “The Key to Keys” by Randy Neely which details the Components of a Successful Key Control Program. – Anne Gareis, Director of Operations for Tether Technologies.