How to Tell if Your Tactical Lock Picking Certified Operators are Actually Effective

As a Special Forces Team Leader or Commander, what if you were to order a certified NDE operator to go open a lock using Non-Destructive methods and the operator fails?

For Special Operations leadership, besides "did they open the lock or not," do you have any metric prepared for how to evaluate the success of the entry certifications that you have dedicated your unit's time and energy into?

Be honest.

If you haven't earned some type of NDE certification yourself, it is a great idea to sit down with your certified NDE, TLP, or CMOE operators and to have them teach you a few techniques and for you to really feel and understand, hands-on, how this unique skill set works.

It is NOT a linear skill set.

For commanders and team leaders not familiar with this skill set, I love using metaphors, the right metaphors, to explain this unique skill set in a way that is easy to digest; Tactical Lock Picking is a very unique and nuanced, in-depth craft.

"If I played LeBron James 1-on-1 and made my first basket while he missed his, does that make me the better player or mean that he should be fired?"

Obviously the answer is "no" to both. It would take an awful lot of missed shots for LeBron to be unthroned as one of the greatest sportsmen in history. And it would take me probably decades of work in order to get even close to his level of capability.

"True mastery of these specialized entry crafts is measured in decades, not minutes." - Pat Watson

Here is a quick tool that can help you, as a leader, make informed decisions about the capabilities of your certified lock picking operators:

"Tell me what happened during that entry attempt,

and walk me through your thought process."

Take this quote above with you and use it often. Use it after failed entries so that you can stay in touch with the operators and the operational nuances of their craft. And, ask this question too after a successful entry, and don't take those for granted either.

After a failed entry: if your operator can show that they have a strong understanding of their Target Assessment and Entry Attempt skills, then just keep note of how often they fail and succeed in the future. And almost more importantly, if they have no idea why they failed, then they should be coming back to you in the future with an answer.

After a successful entry: if your operator can tell walk you through their actions (and their plans should those primary options fail) then you have a solid operator. If your operator has no idea why they succeeded... you need to keep your eyes on that operator; luck is nice, but it shouldn't be bet on when lives are on the line.

I'm Pat Watson. For almost two decades I have been teaching Tactical Lock Picking to Law Enforcement SWAT operators, domestic and foreign Special Forces Operators domestically and abroad, as well as special government agency personnel.

If you are interested in certifying your operators in Tactical Lock Picking or any of the following high-value skill sets, please send an email to Pat@utac.io with your introduction to start the quote process.

-Pat Watson

May 2025