Locking Up A Win
Replacement of locks meant a look at security technology
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Nov 01, 2016
AT FRESNO CITY COLLEGE, THE SUCCESSFUL
TESTING OF A LOCK ON
ONE OF THE SCHOOL’S BUSIEST
DOORS RESULTED IN A CONCERTED
INITIATIVE TO UPGRADE THE INSTITUTION’S
SEVEN CAMPUSES. THE
SARGENT 11 LINE LOCK WON THE
PRAISE OF COLLEGE LOCKSMITH
MIKE YELINEK, WHO NOTES ITS
SOLID CONSTRUCTION, EASE OF
OPERATION AND MINIMAL MAINTENANCE
REQUIREMENTS.
In the beginning, however, Yelinek was
hardly an easy sell. In fact, in his own words he
was “dead set against” changing lock brands.
That’s because simplicity is a priority for
Yelinek, who for the past 20 years has been the
only locksmith for all of the college’s campuses.
“I have a small shop, so storage room for all
the repair parts is a big concern,” Yelinek said.
“I wanted to keep things consistent.”
His concern is based on experience. When
Yelinek joined the district two decades ago, he
inherited buildings equipped mainly with cylindrical
knob locks, many of which had been in
place for almost 40 years. The enactment of the
Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, however,
mandated the replacement of those locks.
Yelinek, naturally, chose to stay with the manufacturer
of the locks that had maintained full
functionality for four decades. But he soon
learned that the quality was an issue.
“The handles began to sag almost immediately,
and we were having more issues than
ever with the knobs,” Yelinek said. “They
were failing at light speed and required constant
repair.”
Then, an ASSA ABLOY representative with
whom Yelinek had spoken with several times
about electronic access control products happened
to stop by the shop, where he saw the
shelves full of lock boxes labeled with the
word “rebuild.” So he brought in a sample of
the SARGENT 11 Line. The 11 Line’s unique
T-Zone Construction provides strength and
durability for the most demanding applications
such as schools and hospitals. Yelinek’s
decision was made almost instantly.
“As soon as I picked it up I realized it was a
well-built product,” Yelinek said. “We
installed the sample on one of our highesttraffic
doors and have had dozens of people
say how solid it feels and how smoothly it
works. Then we put them in a few more places
and got similar feedback.”
Before approaching the college’s administration
about changing locks throughout the
district, Yelinek didn’t let the superior performance
of the installed locks diminish the
thoroughness of his research. He checked out
the lock’s UL testing, which confirmed that it
performs better than any other grade 1 lock
on the market. Yelinek says he also took the
lockdown functionality into consideration.
“We needed something that could be easily
understood by everyone, including our
adjuncts, who aren’t key-carrying faculty but
who would play a critical role in case of an
emergency,” Yelinek said. “We opted for the
push button on the inside in order to lock the
classroom down. If the button is pushed in
the door is locked.”
As of today, 11 Line locks are installed in
high-traffic areas and in those where there
have been break-ins. Yelinek reports that the
first set of locks he purchased still look and
operate as they did when they were installed
more than a year ago.
In addition to those locks already on the
main campus, Yelinek has more than 300 on
order. His confidence in the product, he says,
is based on the reliability of the locks already
in service.
“When you make a decision like this, the
bottom line is security, first and foremost,
and the second issue is low maintenance,”
Yelinek said. “You just want the locks to
work so that you can install them and walk
away and not have to come back for 10 years.
That’s what I’m striving
for, and with Line 11,
we’re moving in the
right direction.”
This article originally appeared in the November 2016 issue of Security Today.
About the Author
Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.