Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:34 pm by MBI
If there is a way to do it without tipping off the target, see if you can get into a position, maybe in the back of a vehicle with tinted windows and a digital SLR with the biggest telephoto lens you can get your hands on and get a few shots of the point(s) of entry. It might give you some ideas what you'll need to get in, how tough the door is, if there is a security gate or screen door, etc. Depending on your lens and how close you can get you might even be able to zoom in digitally afterward and find out what brand of lock you will be facing.
Split up your gear so you only need to take one box with you, that will be your "entry box". You can carry that in your weak hand leaving the other arm free to carry a ballistic shield as you approach the door, or if you don't have something like that to carry, it'll at least keep your strong hand free to draw a weapon quicker if it's needed. Down the road I'd also consider switching to a different kind of toolbox, something that stays all in one piece and just folds open so it's quicker and easier to lay out and access all your tools with just one movement. And close it just as quickly once you need it out of the way. There are hard cases that fold open with lots of different dividers, there are also canvas tool bags with rigid bottoms. The two canvas halves of the top fold wide open giving good access to the tools. They can be found with dividers for individual tools all around the perimeter of the bag, and sometimes with a divider down the center with compartments all along each side. For the most part, you can see and access every tool at a glance.
Some of this here is redundant and has been said already above, but this is what I'd put in the bag: an adjustable brightness LED headlamp, an airbag or two, a couple of plastic wedges, some latch shim material, a spring loaded center punch, some large channel lock pliers, a shorty handheld sledge hammer, a really big flathead screwdriver, large vice grips, a compact can of spray lube, a pair of skin tight work gloves with very grippy rubber palms, a homemade mule tool. I say homemade because it's relatively easy to make them short which will fit in a compact case like yours. The commercially made ones are not only pricey sometimes, but they're bulky. Maybe also carry an 18V cordless drill with a spare battery and some tough drill bits. If you're trying to limit damage, a lock is much easier to replace than an entire door if you have to resort to destructive entry and have the luxury of time to drill it instead of using the battering ram.
I might be forgetting a few things, but those are the tools I can think of, off the top of my head. There are a couple other bypass tools I'd carry but I don't post info about them publicly.
Things like your auto entry tools, your lock repinning tools should all go in a separate box together and be left in your vehicle on an op like this. You won't need them for a tactical entry. Also keep a spare knob and deadbolt in that kit in case you need to destroy the lock during entry and have need to secure the property against tampering when you're finished with the raid.
You mentioned a ballistic blanket to cover the door to shield you as you work. Unfortunately that might be problematic unless you have a framework or something to hold it up, and that will be bulky and take extra time. If you want some shielding, take a SWAT entry shield with you. It's faster to deploy because they are rigid. If it doesn't have it's own base to stand up on it's own, you can lean it against the door as you work to provide you some protection. The downside is that you'll probably be limited to level II or III protection as the level IV shields get pretty darn heavy to carry and might not work out well since you'll also have other gear to carry.
I assume you'll also be wearing a tactical raid vest, hopefully with side and shoulder protection. You're probably already aware or might even already own one of the wrap around pieces for your upper arm and tucks up under the shoulder flap. That way you'll have good protection against anything entering the chest cavity through the shoulder area/arm opening on your weak side that's more likely to be facing the door. It's a bit late for it now, but if this might become a regular thing you might want to consider investing in a ballistic helmet and possibly even a face shield as those might be poking up above the ballistic shield as you work. Get one that has an actual NIJ rating to stop firearm projectiles and not just shrapnel protection like military helmets.
