Before working at LockNet my extremely limited knowledge of all things doors and locks absolutely did not cover something called “magnetic key covers.” Once I got here though, all of that changed, because magnetic key covers were a critical component of a very important solution to one of the most pestering issues LockNet has ever been faced with.  Before we dive into the issue though and what we did to solve it, let’s go over what magnetic key covers actually are.

Magnetic Key Covers – What Are They?

Magnetic key covers mount over the cylinder and slide up with the use of a specialized magnetic key.  The shield then stays up until the magnetic key is used to slide the shield back down over the cylinder. This prevents any vandals from tampering with the lock and obstructing the keyhole in any way.

Magnetic Key Covers – The Issue

Several years ago a militant group requested that the public boycott one of our clients, a large restaurant chain. At the time, there was a large conference in the area where a large majority of these stores were located. The group decided to create chaos by disrupting the restaurants’ ability to open for business.

How did they do it? It was actually very simple – they squeezed Super Glue into the core of all of their locking systems so that no keys would work and the restaurants couldn’t open. The majority of the attacks were in Seattle but there were a few scattered across the country in Washington, California or on the East Coast in DC, Virginia and New York. In a matter of months, the stores in Canada were getting hit with the same vandalism.

This resulted in an onslaught of emergency calls in all hours of the morning with panicked store managers unable to open their restaurants to serve customers, which lead to a loss in profits.

Finally, the idea of using magnetic key covers to combat the problem arose, and LockNet ran with it. We had the magnetic key covers in stock, and we knew it would deter the glue problem for our client. We contacted the involved facility management personnel and sent over information regarding the lock covers, explaining how this would solve their problem. Once we received the ok, we installed them.

Magnetic key covers are a relatively inexpensive way to combat what could be an expensive loss. Only one entry door needs to have the magnetic key cover installed, because if the facility manager has the ability to gain entry and open for business the threat loses its meaning.

Vandalism can sometimes be a tricky entity to fight. We’ve heard from clients before, “Everyone in the world has a key to my store if they want it. It’s called a brick.” However, a solution for the problems vandalism causes doesn’t have to empty your wallet. If you have any questions or want to learn more about loss prevention options, feel free to contact LockNet. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have!