How Securilock Stopped Tool Theft from Washington D.C. Plumbing Company

In the Washington D.C. area, there are hard-working plumbers, dedicated men and women who love their profession and the customers they serve. Since 2022, crime in their communities have exploded by over 300%. Over the last two years for one plumbing business, every single truck had been broken into despite having standard vehicle door locks. The company had spent over a stunning $50,000 replacing stolen equipment since November 2022.

These criminals are different.

Out in the field servicing customers is where this brazen crime happens and standard or stock commercial van door locks don’t seem to matter. The crooks perpetrating these crimes are organized, well-equipped and relentless.

“There is somebody behind your truck.” For one plumber, these words were chilling. From the vantage point of the home he was servicing, he could see his truck parked on the street, and on the driver’s side, out of view, he could see a man’s legs standing on the other side. He immediately rushed outside and pointed at the unknown individual.

“Hey, I see you!”

That’s when the thief froze and looked at the plumber. He saw that the thief was fighting with a power drill attempting to break into his van. Luckily, the thief was scared off, but the emotional distress of the close call remained. “Makes you want to quit. To give up.” Says another plumber who had his van, locked with standard vehicle door locks, broken into three times.

For all the tradespeople working as plumbers in the Washington D.C. area, it is a business that they invest in themselves. From personally buying the first tools when starting out, to growing a tool collection over the course of a career. The tools tradespeople use every day are personal expenses that not only represent a large financial investment, but an emotional one. And when these tools get stolen, it’s disheartening and financially devastating.

With many tradespeople reaching a crossroads, deciding whether to stay in the trade or leave due to safety, this company had reached an impasse. The management sympathized and understood why so many of their tradespeople wanted to leave but they still had a business to run. Plumbing companies around the area banded together to figure out how to battle this crime wave that threatened to destroy their businesses. All agreed that the solution had to be a van door lock, but something over and above what they were already using.

One plumbing company proceeded to try every custom commercial van door lock the market could offer, desperately seeking a solution that would work to protect their business. Then an unusual lock called the Legend SecuriLock caught their attention.

They had heard of the Italian-made locks from other plumbers who swore by them. With nothing to lose, the company began installing them on their vans. Soon after getting them on the road they saw why these locks had rave reviews. The break-in attempts didn’t abate, but without exception, every van with a Legend van door lock remained safe with no successful break ins.

Since installing the Legend locks, the company has not reported a single successful break in.

Why Legend locks?

What makes the Legend locks so impervious? And are they easy to install and to use?

Tradespeople had found that all stock van locks were easy prey for criminals due to their weak construction as an afterthought in the van manufacturing process. To ensure absolute safety it became clear that companies needed to install some kind of custom lock. When they discovered Legend, they learned that Legend had lock design, break-in prevention, and functionality down to a science.

Legend’s knowledge of how criminals use tools to break into vans was vast and was applied in the development of the Legend’s premium Dead Lock and Slam Lock SecuriLock line.

“We are actually helping protect not just tradespeople’s tools and cargo, but their entire livelihoods,” says Legend’s Marketing Director, Brendan Church. “They rely on this to do their job. When it’s gone, they have to start over. Legend is proud to stop these criminals in their tracks with locks that actually work.”

What makes Legend Locks so effective?

The van door lock itself was developed, not as a mere way to lock a door, but as customized tool that performs a specific function like any other tool in the van that it protects. Legend clearly had a singular purpose in mind when creating the lock. It wanted the lock to effortlessly resist multiple extreme levels of damage from break-in attempts to weather resistance. That’s the key differentiator.

The van lock itself boasts many unusual features unique to the SecuriLock.

1. A hardened steel body encased in a weather-resistant zinc and nickel coating. This provides a surface that defies any kind of cutting from power tools. The lock is permanently secured to the van in a way that makes it difficult to remove. This aids the functionality by forcing a thief to fold the van sheet metal itself rather than the lock – that’s the first deterrent.

2. An unconventional high-security key that is difficult to duplicate. It means would-be thieves cannot make duplicates easily, nor can they force the lock with imitations of standard keys.

3. With both automatic and manual locking features, the lock is versatile enough to oblige the driver in a variety of situations and serves to adapt to the driver’s busy distractions throughout the day.

Slam Lock and Dead Lock; two solutions to meet crime head on.

The Slam Lock variant, best used for maximum security when the vehicle won’t be accessed often, automatically fastens itself whenever the attached door is closed. Slam Lock variant requires a key to be opened again. The Dead Lock variant, best used when the vehicle will be accessed often, has the same functionality as the Slam Lock but can be disengaged without the key.

For this Washington D.C. area plumbing company, Legend van door locks have saved them tens of thousands of dollars going forward in tool replacement and the safety of not only the vans but their contractors as well. Learn more about the Securilock and how you can secure your livelihood in the most effective way possible.