I have been recently contracted to change all the locks at a school located in Washinton, DC. The security they have in place right now are security personel and hard lock and key system. It is a middle shcool with a high school in the same building. They will be getting a card access system and cameras in the near future. But for now we need to the change the locks because master keys have been given out.
I will talk first about a master key system. Most people know that a master key will fit all doors and a seperate individual key for each door. The same as in an apartment complex. The maitenance man has a key that fits every unit and each tennant has their own key that doesn’t fit any body elses unit. This is the lowest level of a master key system. This is normally called a level 2 system.
The system that they have currently is Sargent large format removable core. I have no clue of what level or what has been done in the past. No records have been kept nor has the previous locksmith issued or kept any records. Because of cost reasons they have decided to rekey and remaster the existing cylinders. I did inform them of High Security and Restricted cylinders that could be installed.
After walking the school and making a list of every door, I designed a system for them using the existing Sargenat IC removeable core. The system will need a grand master key (GMK), master keys (AA, AB. etc.), and individual keys to seperate offices and rooms (AA1,AB1,AA2, etc.). The grand master keys will work everything, while the master keys will work only sections. The admistation office area will have its own sectional master key. This key given out to the right personnel working only in this area. Only people who might need to go into all the offices will be given a GMK or a sectional master key. Each door will be keyed seperatley and keys given out to each person occupying each office. Security and pincipals will be given a GMK.
