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Public Safety Tip from Chief Gary Baldauf

Within the past two weeks a resident contacted the Wyoming Police Department and reported that the “Emergency All Day Locksmith” company was using her home address as their company address in both the yellow pages and in online listings. The police department investigated the incident and found that this locksmith company actually connects to a call center in Florida run by “Dependable Locksmith”.  The police department, after contacting the United States Postal Service, the Ohio Attorney Generals’ office, and the local prosecutor, found that this practice is not currently a criminal violation. 

As a result of the diligence of our resident, and with information gained from the police department’s investigation, John Matarese from the Don’t Waste Your Money program at WCPO, Channel 9, did a news segment on Monday to increase public awareness of this disturbing practice. 

The following link will take you to the article and a video of the broadcast: http://www.wcpo.com/content/news/localshows/dontwasteyourmoney/story/Police-Lying-Locksmith-Using-Local-Homeowner/a45gkk8UxkOmpplOn6iekA.cspx

In general, when hiring companies and contractors to perform service work (e.g. locksmiths) residents should do some basic research by checking references, completed projects, and, research the company’s complaint history with the Better Business Bureau.  You can contact the Police Department at 821-0141 to request additional information.