ALOA Security Professionals Association (ALOA, formerly known as the Associated Locksmiths of America) is an American

trade organization A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. Through collabor ...

for

locksmith Locksmithing is the work of creating and bypassing locks. Locksmithing is a traditional trade and in many countries requires completion of an apprenticeship. The level of formal education legally required varies by country, ranging from no formal ...

s and other physical security professionals. The organization represents more than 6,000 locksmiths in the United States, Canada, and other countries, making it the largest association of its sort in North America, and conducts professional proficiency certifications for its members. ALOA's activities include a continuing education (ACE) program, an annual convention and security exposition, and the ALOA Training Center, based in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

History

Establishment and early conventions

The Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA) was founded in 1955. The executive secretary was Lee Rognon of Modena, New York, with the organization establishing its first headquarters in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, a city located about 25 miles north of Modena.Associated Press
"Locksmiths Move Their Headquarters"
''

The Baytown Sun ''The Baytown Sun'', is a newspaper published in Baytown, Texas, United States. It was first published 1919 as the ''Goose Creek Gasser''. The paper is owned by Southern Newspapers Inc., a news-media company based in Houston, Texas. History The ...

'', vol. 51, no. 238 (July 11, 1973), pg. 2. The group held its first biennial convention in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

from July 14–16, 1956, at the Sherman Hotel, bringing together

s from around the country. The 1956 National Convention and Trade Show was directed and managed by Robert Rognon,"Modena,"
Kingston: ''

Daily Freeman The Daily Freeman, published in Kingston, New York, serves as the primary morning newspaper for Ulster County, as well as Greene County, Columbia County and Dutchess County. Established in 1871 under the moniker "Rondout Daily Freeman," the ...

'' vol. 85, no. 229 (July 14, 1956), pg. 3. husband of Lee Rognon. The show was expected to draw 3,000 participants from 46 of the 48 American states. The 1958 ALOA National Convention was again held at the Sherman Hotel in Chicago, and was a two-day affair, running the weekend of July 19–20. Among the activities conducted by the convention was a lock-picking contest, with Glen Hickenlooper of

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

, proclaimed the national champion for a second time. In 1960, ALOA turned to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, as the location for its third biennial convention, also held in the middle of July. About 1200 members of the organization were in attendance, where they were viewed demonstrations of new burglary-prevention devices and were photographed and fingerprinted for identification in an effort to raise professional standards for locksmiths. The convention once again was the scene of a lock-picking competition, in which Flora E. Gebhart of

Shamokin, Pennsylvania Shamokin - (; Saponi Algonquian languages, Algonquian ''Schahamokink'', meaning "place of eels") (Unami language, Lenape Indian language: Shahëmokink) is a city in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Surrounded by Coal Township ...

, won the women's division with a time of 1 minute and 41 seconds to pick a standard door lock. During the early 1970s the Associated Locksmiths produced two short educational films as part of an outreach program highlighting security issues with owners of homes and businesses. The first of these, ''Invitation to Burglary,'' narrated by actor

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor who had a lengthy Hollywood film career and portrayed the title roles in the television dramas '' Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career inclu ...

, dealt with residential crime and its prevention, while the second, ''Rip Off,'' narrated by actor

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image. Bo ...

, concerned the security problems of business and industry."Outwit the Thief,"
''Irving XDaily News,'' vol. 15, no. 307 (Feb. 26, 1974), pg. 1. Both of these short films were made available for use by ALOA to groups able to raise an audience of 25 persons or more.

Relocation

The headquarters of the Associated Locksmiths of America was moved from Kingston, New York, to

, in the summer of 1973. In addition to its executive offices, the group moved its central library of literature related to the history and practice of locksmithing to its new Dallas facility at this time. Lee Rognon remained Executive Director of ALOA at the time of the organization's move.

Organization

Security Expo

ALOA hosts a Security Expo which consists of classes, networking events, exhibits, and the annual membership meeting. The 2022 ALOA Security Expo was held at the

South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa (formerly South Coast) is a resort located along Las Vegas Boulevard in Enterprise, Nevada, south of the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned and operated by Michael Gaughan, the founder of Coast Casinos. It includes a c ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. The 2023 ALOA Security Expo was held at the

Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista The Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista is a hotel located adjacent to the Disney Springs complex located on Walt Disney World Resort property in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The hotel, which opened on November 23, 1983, is among seven hotels that ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

Certifications

ALOA holds frequent proficiency certification sessions for experienced locksmiths. Through its Proficiency Registration Program (PRP), ALOA offers five locksmith membership designations: (1) Registered Locksmith (RL); (2) Certified Registered Locksmith (CRL); (3) Certified Professional Locksmith (CPL); (4) Certified Master Locksmith (CML); and (5) Certified Automotive Locksmith (CAL)

ALOA LATINO

The group also conducts a membership program for locksmiths in Mexico and the Spanish-speaking diaspora called "ALOA LATINO."

Safe and Vault Technicians Association

ALOA owns the Safe and Vault Technicians Association (SAVTA) and proctors the examinations for its specialty certifications, which include Certified Professional SafeTech (CPS) and Certified Master Safe Technician (CMST).

Publication

ALOA publishes a monthly digital and paper magazine for its members called ''Keynotes.''

Footnotes

External links

Find a ALOA Locksmith
{{DEFAULTSORT:Associated Locksmiths of America 1955 establishments in the United States Locksmithing organizations Trade associations based in the United States Organizations established in 1955