lemaymiami
Member
I actually have a bit of experience cracking a safe (one only and it was in the line of duty....) some years back when I was in charge of my Department's property room. The safe in question was a fairly simple "fire safe" with a combination lock on the door...
Occasionally I'm smart enough to know how little I know so I went to the biggest dealer for safes in my area (Miami) and talked to an old gent who really knew what to do. Once he knew the make/model we went to one for sale and he was kind enough to show me exactly where to drill to access the dial mechanism. He then described in detail exactly how to align the wheels under the dial to unlock the safe (and provided exact measurements so that I'd only have to drill one hole...). Worked like a charm and was my one and only safe job..... Of course, nothing inside but papers.... and none of this would have been necessary if the owner had just opened the safe for the guys with the warrant....
Now for the best part (I couldn't make this up...). The nice old guy that was so helpful and really, really knew his stuff.... He was the lock man for the Watergate burglars who'd served his time and lived a quiet life as a local Cubano.... It was a treat to meet and talk with him, even just briefly....
Now for some practical advice about your safe... If you don't care how it's done, make a trip to you local fire station. If they feel like it any fire outfit can cut into that safe in just a few moments. Yes it will be messy but those guys really know how to cut through stuff -and have the tools to do it without breaking a sweat... That's the route I'd have taken if I didn't want to do the job without making a mess...
By the way... this is the first time I've ever publicly told this story. I'm sure that the old boy I dealt with has long passed away... I'm long out of police work but the stories stay with you. Some of them are actually true...
Occasionally I'm smart enough to know how little I know so I went to the biggest dealer for safes in my area (Miami) and talked to an old gent who really knew what to do. Once he knew the make/model we went to one for sale and he was kind enough to show me exactly where to drill to access the dial mechanism. He then described in detail exactly how to align the wheels under the dial to unlock the safe (and provided exact measurements so that I'd only have to drill one hole...). Worked like a charm and was my one and only safe job..... Of course, nothing inside but papers.... and none of this would have been necessary if the owner had just opened the safe for the guys with the warrant....
Now for the best part (I couldn't make this up...). The nice old guy that was so helpful and really, really knew his stuff.... He was the lock man for the Watergate burglars who'd served his time and lived a quiet life as a local Cubano.... It was a treat to meet and talk with him, even just briefly....
Now for some practical advice about your safe... If you don't care how it's done, make a trip to you local fire station. If they feel like it any fire outfit can cut into that safe in just a few moments. Yes it will be messy but those guys really know how to cut through stuff -and have the tools to do it without breaking a sweat... That's the route I'd have taken if I didn't want to do the job without making a mess...
By the way... this is the first time I've ever publicly told this story. I'm sure that the old boy I dealt with has long passed away... I'm long out of police work but the stories stay with you. Some of them are actually true...