Illinois Seal

Anderson Lock recently updated its “Locksmith Study Guide” which provides a summary of the laws regulating locksmiths in the State of Illinois. All new employees are required to complete (at minimum) 20 hours of training. then earn a passing grade on a Locksmith Test.

Cortney Anderson Wascher, President of Anderson Lock, has served on the Illinois Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor and Locksmith Board of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDPR) since 2009, when she was appointed by Governor Pat Quinn. She is one of only two locksmiths serving on the 13-member board. The Board is charged with “providing expert knowledge and advice on disciplinary matters and professional performance and conduct.”

Private Detectives were licensed in Illinois in 1937; in 1993, locksmiths were added to the IDPR Act.

Cortney attends meetings of the advisory board four times a year, twice in Springfield and twice in Chicago, to review cases brought before the state, and makes recommendations according to current laws and practices. She devotes a considerable amount of time (and travel) to assure that citizens of Illinois are safeguarded from unscrupulous business practices (a.k.a. locksmith scams!), and that the locksmith industry maintains its trustworthy reputation with proper regulation of locksmiths, through licensing, and P.E.R.C. cards (Permanent Employee Registration Cards).

All employees of a Locksmith Agency who have access to security information are required to:
a.  be fingerprinted and pass a background security check,
b.  complete an approved 20 hour course of training,
c.  obtain prescribed identification on openings and
d.  carry two identification cards while performing any work for the Agency.

Other requirements of the law are described in the Locksmith Study Guide. In addition to knowing about the Locksmith Act, employees must also be familiar with Life Safety regulations, ADA Guidelines, and policies related to key records. Questions regarding key codes, identification of key blanks and master keying are also on the test.