Police concerned stolen key programmers could be used for car theft
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. -- A call for service near a Brooklyn Park apartment complex last week turned into a nightmare for a local locksmith.
"When he got there, he ended up getting flagged down by the suspects who then pointed guns at him and asked for the key programmer that locksmiths carry," said Inspector Toni Weinbeck with the Brooklyn Park Police Department.
Police are concerned that stolen key programmer could be used in future crimes.
"A lot of vehicles may have some type of microchip or chipping in that key that the vehicle actually reads," Weinbeck said. "That microchip or that chipping piece in the key to make that vehicle start, so it's a way for people to potentially go and steal vehicles in the future."
RELATED: How some metro area police departments are using state funds to battle rising car thefts
Locksmith Tyler Martinez with Central Lock and Safe says most people who take these key programmers don't understand what they have.
"In programming, it's an ordeal. You have to have knowledge. There are sequences and what not and everybody has their own knack for it, so anybody who touches a machine is not going to be able to do whatever you want to do," Martinez said.
Martinez says there are safeguards in place. Most key programmers are passcode protected, another machine is needed to cut a special key, and some keyers have encrypted signals that constantly change.
"You need two or three things to come in to play a part before you get anything rolling," Martinez said.
To keep potential criminals from rolling away with your vehicle police say you should keep it in a garage if you can. If you don't have a garage, another option is a steering-wheel lock.