|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||| ||| ||| ---------------------- ||| ||| * LAUSD Infiltration * ||| ||| ---------------------- ||| ||| ____________________________________________ ||| ||| ||| ||| Hints and Tips for breaking into ||| ||| ||| ||| Valley Los Angeles Unified School District ||| ||| ||| ||| Halls, Rooms and Buildings ||| ||| ____________________________________________ ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| Written by The Ramsacker ||| ||| ||| ||| With special thanx to Deep Freez ||| ||| and others ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________ / \ ____________/ /// Forward /// \___________ / \ / All the information presented here has been obtained through \ | extensive research and first hand experimentation and the data gathered | | is the result of many late night hours spent by Deep Freez and myself | | (and sometimes other friends) exploring schools and their buildings in | | search of useful equipment. These excursions usually took place | | between the hours of 9:00 PM and 1:00 AM. The main purpose of this | | file is to educate the reader on the methods used to gain access to | | school buildings and in no way encourages the employment of these | \ methods. The author takes no responsibility for any moron who / \____________ attempts the activities illustrated in this ____________/ \ article and is caught in the process. / \_________________________________________/ ___________________________________________________________________________ [- Part I: General Door Information -] A. Hallways Hallway doors in Valley LAUSD schools are double doors with panic bolts. They are at either end of the hallway or anywhere in between (usually in the middle) and have a bar extending the length of each door horizontally (the panic bolt). These bars stick out approximately five inches from the face of the door and three inches in from the inner end. The outside face of these doors usually has a keyhole and a lever or latch and a handle. When a key is used to unlock the door, the latch is then operated and the door will open at the pull of the handle. On some of these doors, there will be no keyhole on the outside of the door. The space between some of these doors is approximately an eighth of an inch wide, but many times there will be a strip of metal riveted down the length of the inner edge of each door to decrease this space to about one sixteenth of an inch. On occasion, a hall door may have a rafter in the center of the doorway that will hinder the passage of any object being inserted in between the doors. Hallway doors will usually have windows on each door. B. Auditoriums and Gyms (large buildings used for public gatherings) The doors used on large school buildings such as auditoriums and gyms are the same as those used in halls and all the information in Part A can be applied here. These doors, however, will never have windows on them. C. Classroom and Office Doors Most of the doors on classrooms and offices use locks which allow them to be opened without the need of a key from the inside and require a key to be opened from the outside (unless they are unlocked). The inside doorknob always turns while the outside doorknob will only turn when the door is either unlocked or a key is used to enable the knob to be turned. These doors usually have mechanisms that automatically close them. These doors have two types of latches. One latch consists of a main lock and a small, collapsable, rounded tooth right above it. The main lock has three triangular teeth: one between two others and oriented oppposite the two. When examined from the top of the lock, this configuration looks like a crown. When the knob is turned, the middle tooth will collapse and become flush with the outside teeth while all teeth are simultaneously pulled into the door jamb. The other type of latch has the same basic configuration as the first one except that the main latch is just one, big triangular tooth that will collapse into the door jamb when the door knob is turned (same as a house lock). Take note that the first latch discussed will most likely be found on all doors in a school (aside from hallway doors) and the second latch described will not be come across as often. Classroom and office doors on the outside of buildings will usually have plates covering the door jambs to obstruct the insertion of any object. D. Computer Lab Doors Computer labs have the latches on their doors replaced with ones where the latch is on the inside of the door, sight unseen from the outside of the door. These doors are then completely covered with sheet metal, and the doorknob is replaced with a keyhole and a steel handle to pull the door open. One door on computer labs will be completely covered with sheet metal and can only be opened from the inside of the room (for more information on Computer Lab security, see Part VI). E. Non-panic Bolt Double Doors Some double doors will have a doorknob or a handle on one door that is used to open them. The locks on these doors is identical to normal classroom doors. Please refer to Part C for information on these locks. [- Part II: Opening Doors -] A. Keys Obviously, the easiest way to open doors would be with keys, but just as obvious it is not too easy to come across a copy of school keys. One way to obtain school keys would be to mug a member of the faculty when nobody is around, but that has it's consequences. Another method would be to always be on the look-out for misplaced keys. If you see a key or a set of keys sitting somewhere that are easy to get at and you are sure nobody is watching then take them, but this will most likely cause alarm among the faculty and administration. A safe way to get school keys is through the use of key codes. Key codes are codes set into the bow (the head) of keys which tell a locksmith how to duplicate a key should a person lose a key and need to get another. If a teacher was to ever give you his keys to run an errand for him then that would be your golden opportunity. Look at the bow of the key and write down (or memorize) the code. A code will always consist of a letter or letters followed by several numbers. The letters are the key's series and the numbers are the key's record number (or sometimes, the actual key code). A locksmith will cross-reference both the series and the record number in a codebook and come up with the actual key code, which is information in the form of digits representing each individual cut on the key. The code will not always be stamped onto the key, and some other number that has nothing to do with the key itself may be on it instead, such as the school's identification number. A good way to determine if the code is a valid key code or not is to count the number of cuts in the key. If the number of cuts corresponds with the number of digits in the code then you can be pretty sure that you have the key code. The next step is finding a locksmith who will cut the key for you. Most will tell you that they need the key in order to make a duplicate from code because anyone can see a code on a key and ask to have a copy made of it (now who would do a thing like that?). Visit every locksmith you can find and you may get lucky. Always have an alibi in mind should the locksmith question you about the codes. If he asks what the keys are for say that they're for your dad's workshop or your employer told you to get them cut, or say that you lost your keyring with all your keys on it but kept a record of their codes. Sometimes, the locksmith's codebook will tell the locksmith that certain keys are "restricted", meaning he is not allowed to duplicate them. This may be the case with school keys since schools order their locks directly from the lock manufacturers and may request that the key codes be listed as "restricted" in codebooks, or not printed at all. Another less fruitful way of getting school duplicates is to have a glob of clay or putty handy if you have access to school keys often. Out of view from anyone around you, press the key into the clay until you have a good impression. Jot down the name of the key somewhere or memorize it and then put the clay in a safe place (ie. not in your pocket where it can get smushed). Next, you either have to find a locksmith who will make a copy of the key from the clay (slim chance) or try to make the copy yourself. To obtain a key blank you should find a locksmith that will sell you one or you can just go to a hardware store where they will sell you one with no questions asked. Then you can measure the depth of the cuts in the impression and try to file the blank to match the cuts. As you can tell this method wouldn't be worth most of the effort since the key might end up not working. If you have access to a key for long periods of time then you may want to plan on bringing a key calliper to school one day. This is a precision instrument used by locksmiths to measure the depths of the cuts in a key. Out of sight of anyone around you, measure each cut in the key and write it down. Then obtain a key blank of the desired key and file the cuts into it by referring to the measurements you made. A problem with this is getting the cuts spaced evenly. You could combine this method with the clay impression method to overcome this obstacle. A note about school keys: They will almost always have the words "DO NOT DUPLICATE" stamped on them in case an unauthorized person tries to make a copy of one. When a locksmith sees this, he will refuse to duplicate it. B. The Coat Hanger Key A very simple and practical way of opening locked panic bolt doors is through the use of a wire coat hanger. Get yourself a thin wire coat hanger and cut the bottom part of the hanger about an inch from where it is bent on one side. Then unwind the coat hanger at the hook (See figure 1.1). Make sure you cut the side that is connected to the hook because you need as much of the coat hanger as possible for grip. Straighten the wire out between the hanger hook and the hook that was created from you cutting the hanger. Bend the part that you cut so that it makes a square hook (See figure 1.2). From the top of this hook, measure down four and a half inches and make a 45 degree angle bend, making sure that it is straight with the square hook. Bend it so that the distance from the inside of the square hook to the long, vertical side of the hanger is three inches. Make sure you have five inches of wire between this bend and the round hook (See figure 1.3). This procedure, no doubt, has probably got you thoroughly confused, so please refer to the diagrams for a visual reference. What you are trying to do is shape the coat hanger so that it can be slipped into the space between the double doors, turned, and then slid down and hooked onto the panic bolt. Once this is accomplished, a sharp pull on the coat hanger should cause the bar to be pulled towards the door (as if someone pushed on it) resulting in the door opening. As explained in part II, section A, the bolt sticks out five inches from the door and is three inches in from the inner side of the door, so that is why the hanger is bent as explained above. When inserted between the doors, it will be fives inches into the door and three inches inward, aligned with the bar. This simple contraption will gain you access to most halls, gyms, auditoriums, and some libraries. Keep in mind that the coat hanger may not be thin enough to fit in between the doors, either because the doors are too close together or because a strip of metal is riveted down the inner side of both of the doors, making the space between the doors very small. Please refer to part II, section A for more information about these doors. _________________________________ __________ __________________ | __ | | __ | | __ | | / \ | | / \ | | / \ | | ' | | | ' | | | ' | ^ | | / | | | | | | | | | |<-- UNWIND | | | | | |5in. | | __--~~~~~~~~~~~--__ | | | | | | | | | __-- --__ | | | | | <-3in->| v | | (___________________________) | | | | | / | | ^ | | | | | / | | | | | |__| | | / <- 4.5in. | | CUT HERE | | hook | | /__/ | |_________________________________| |__________| |__________________| Figure 1.1 Figure 1.2 Figure 1.3 A problem sometimes arises when using the coat hanger key. Sometimes you may pull on the hanger and find it requires much effort, and the hook even tweaks out and comes screeching through the door. There are two possible reasons. The first, and most aggravating, is that you don't have the hanger hooked onto the bar, but instead onto another part of the panic bolt mechanism. It may seem like it is, but it's not. To make sure you have the hanger hooked around the bar, you should insert the hanger into the door, turn it so that the hook is sticking straight into the door, and then push the hanger in far enough so that it is about five inches into the door. Then slide the hanger down until you feel it catch. When you attempt to open the door, don't pull the hanger straight out; pull it down a little as you pull out so that it doesn't slip off of the bar. If you still have difficulty opening the door, then chances are the door is just very sturdy. Try to push on the door so that when you pull on the hanger, it doesn't pull the door out causing the lock bolts to jam against the jamb. This trick can be mastered with a moderate amount of practice, but you will always come apon a stubborn door once in a while. If you just can't get it to work on a certain entrance then try the next variation of the coat hanger key before you think about giving up. A sturdier version of the coat hanger key can be fashioned which will work better on sturdy doors. Simply follow the procedure for creating the coat hanger key, but perform all of the instructions ___________________ on both sides of the hanger. Cut the bottom of the | __ | coat hanger off leaving an inch on both ends, or | / \ | better yet, get a coat hanger with a cardboard dowel | ' | | bottom and remove the dowel, which will leave perfect | | | hooks on both ends of the hanger. After following the | | | directions for the standard coat hanger key, bring | | | the two hooks together so that the hanger looks like a | | | "Y" (See figure 2.1). To use the double-sided coat | / \ | hanger key, insert it between the doors as described | / \ | and hook it around both bars (the bar on each door). | / \ | This gives you greater leverage. Now when you pull on | /__/ \__\ | the hanger, the weaker bar of the two will give way |___________________| and the door will open. Figure 2.1 C. The Screwdriver & Crowbar Key The mechanism that obviously keeps a door locked is the bolt. When an unlocked doorknob is turned, the bolt is withdrawn from the strike (the hole in the door frame) and pulled into the door, allowing the door to be opened. It is possible to push the bolt into the door with a screwdriver (or other similar, thin object) but only to a certain depth due to a mechanism on the bolt which restricts it from being pushed in all the way when the door is locked. The bolt stops just short of allowing the door to be opened, so that is where the crowbar comes in. If the space between the door and the frame is wide enough, you can insert the crowbar and pry the door away from the frame, thereby compensating for the bolt not being fully withdrawn into the door, and allowing the door to be opened with a yank on the doorknob. This method is nearly sure-fire if the space between the door and the frame is wide enough to begin with. The only problem is that it takes at least three people to perform with ease (one to work the bolt, one to pry the door, and one to give a pull), and two with minor difficulty. It could be accomplished by one person, but it would require much practice. D. The Magnet & Elastic Cord Key Another method for opening classroom doors that I have devised, but have yet to actually put into practice, is the Magnet and Elastic Cord method. This involves the use of an extremely powerful magnet and an elastic cord of some type at least seven feet in length and fairly light-weight. The idea is to attach something highly magnetic to the end of the cord and slip it under the door you are trying to gain access to. Using the magnet, attract the metallic object through the door and slide it up and over the doorknob on the inside. Then bring it back down and under the door. Now, hold one end of the cord while you pull on the other. If the friction against the door is not too great and does not hold the cord and make it stretch, the cord should grab the stem of the doorknob on the inside and turn the doorknob (since the knob on the inside of classroom doors don't lock), thereby opening the door. Obviously, to successfully attempt this method, a magnet must be obtained which is powerful enough to attract through at least one and one half inches of solid wood. A magnet this powerful would most likely have to be very large, and may not make this method feasible. If you would like to attempt this method, which I would classify as a "last ditch effort", then let your fingers do the walking and look through the yellow pages for a magnet manufacturer. One such company that caters to the public is the Dowling-Miner Magnetic Corporation in Sonoma, California, located at 21707 8th Street East. Their phone number is 800-MAGNET-1 (800-624-6381). Give them a call and tell them the size of the magnet you want. They will cut it and ship it out to you C.O.D. I ordered a 2x4x1.5 inch ceramic magnet from them which cost me close to $30, shipping and handling included, so I was fairly disappointed when I discovered that it was barely able to pass through my hollow bedroom door. [- Part III: General Window Information -] Since about 99% of my entrance techniques involved doors, I don't have much detailed information on windows. Although I do present some methods of entrance via windows, they are mainly ideas that I formulated, because I can recall only one occasion on which I used a window to enter a classroom. The majority of windows on LAUSD school buildings are either the sideways sliding type or the vertical sliding type. The lock on the sideways sliding type is like any in a home. It consists of a handle in the middle of the window, halfway up the height of the window, that you grab and pull outward, thus pulling the handle out of a groove that prevents the window from being slid open. Vertical sliding windows are more commonly encountered in Valley LAUSD schools. They have a latch lock on top of the bottom pane that must be lifted up in order for the window to open. [- Part IV: Opening Windows -] Windows are the most vulnerable entrances to school buildings because they can be broken with minimal effort. While this is a risky way to gain entrance because it is noisy and leaves indisputable evidence of a break-in, none-the-less, it may be the only way to gain entrance to a particular room or building. Do keep in mind, though, that gaining entrance to buildings via doors is highly recommended over the window method. A. Breaking Windows Quite obviously, breaking a window can give one easy access to a room. I have never come across any windows with alarm systems hooked up to them so it is not worth worrying about triggering an alarm by breaking a window, but it could never hurt to check for one. One way to reduce the noise in this method of entrance would be to tape the window up with either duct or masking tape. This will muffle the sound of the blow given to the window and will prevent shards of glass from flying every which way. If you are going to break a window, make sure that you are deep within the school, away from nearby homes, so that it can't be heard. I have never used this method because it is a cheap and boring way in, and besides, would leave evidence that there had been a break-in which I don't want because it would cause alarm among the faculty and hinder further attempts at gaining access to the school. B. The Screwdriver Pry Method This method is designed for the sideways sliding windows. Obtain a screwdriver or other long, flat object, and insert it in the gap where the two windows meet, halfway in between the height of the window (ie. where the handle is). Pull outward on the screwdriver (thus, pushing the handle out of the groove), and slide the window open. C. The Up/Down Method This method is designed for the vertical sliding windows. In order for this method to work, there must either be an instance where the latch on the window was only pulled down part-way, or a bit of indiscreet activity on your part (explained later). If you are lucky enough to find a window with the latch in such a condition, then opening it may be only a matter of minutes. Pull down on the top half of the window while pushing the bottom half up, then reverse the direction, pushing the top half of the window up while pushing the bottom half down. Repeat this process while watching the latch to see if it is inching its way up (and thus, unlocking the window). This worked quite nicely for me on one occasion. [- Part V: Discreet Infiltration -] If none of this manual has helped you in anyway thus far, you may want to employ the practice of discreet infiltration. An example of discreet infiltration would be to unlock a window during or at the end of class when nobody is looking, and then closing the blinds so that nobody will notice that it is unlocked. The success of this method will mainly depend on the habits of the teacher and janitors. If the teacher is used to checking that every window is locked before he or she leaves, then he/she is most likely going to find the unlocked window and lock it. If the teacher does not check the windows, chances are that the janitor who cleans the classroom at the end of every day will. They are supposed to check all the windows to make sure the teacher didn't forget to lock them. Another example would be to stuff the door jamb with paper, or jam the bolt with something, such as a wad of paper or a pencil. This should be done on a door which is not accessed a lot. The doorknob may also be jammed from the inside by turning the knob as if you are opening the door, then winding some tape around the stem of the doorknob (preferably see-through) so that it sticks in the open position. Discreet infiltration should be performed preferably in the last class of the day, when everyone goes home and the windows and doors are not likely to be tampered with for the rest of the day. You can then use your prearrangements when nightfall comes to enter the room or hallway you fixed. Remember that the keyword here is "discreet". Let no one see you unlocking windows or doing strange things to doors or you will most likely be confronted by a teacher about it, as they don't particularly take kindly to would-be student theives, no matter how much the teacher admires you. [- Part VI: Computer Room Security -] The computer room, as we all know, contains what we would all love to make off with. The security instituted on computer rooms, though, aptly prevents anyone from doing so, at least for the truly novice, of which most of us are. In this section, I will mainly discuss what devices are employed in computer labs in order to fend off possible break-ins. A. Doors For va- nish off the ship before the entity disappears. But later, she reappears in their quarters again, this time in an unusual duplicate of Jeremy's home crea- ted in that room to fool him into trusting her. The entity is actually a rem- nant of the Koinonians, now energy beings who look upon their earlier tragedy with irony and now wish to help Jeremy by taking care of him after his loss which they feel guilty about. "Marla" takes Jeremy once again but is stopped by force fields and a philosophical Picard, who informs her that sorrow is a necessary part of human nature, and it is something he will have to face -- with his own kind. Jeremy is finally convinced when Wesley gives in and talks to him, informing Picard that the anger he felt was toward the Captain for coming back when Jack Crusher did not; Worf asks Jeremy to let him help in dea- ling with the pain he feels toward him. The Koinonian leaves, taking the illu- sion of the home with it, and Jeremy and Worf are left to the R'uustal, where they become brothers....and both families, now joined, are stronger. == Michael Piller became the newest Co-Executive Producer with this episode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "BOOBY TRAP" Episode #6 (#54) Premiere: Week of 10/30/89 Stardate 43205.6 Paramount Coding: Episode 154 Story: Guest Stars: Michael Wagner and Ron Roman Susan Gibney - Dr. Leah Brahms Teleplay: Colm Meaney - Chief O'Brien Ron Roman and Michael Piller & Albert Hall - Galek Dar Richard Danus Julie Warner - Christy Director: Special Guest Star: Gabrielle Beaumont Whoopi Goldberg - Guinan Music: Ron Jones SUMMARY: The Enterprise has entered the Orelius Nine asteroid belt, created by the remains of a planet destroyed in the wa