Some skill, but not nearly as much as you might think. They’re generally easier to pick than linear pin and tumbler locks, you just have to practice and get the feel for how much tension to put on the collar. The biggest problem is that it’s possible to partially open a cylinder lock, and if you do that, you’re forced to either pick it open/closed or destructively modify the key.
Edit: To clarify, they’re easier to pick if you use a dedicated tubular lock pick. If you try to single pin pick, it’s harder, because you have to pick the lock multiple times to open it all the way.
It’s super rare I ever see a boot in North Carolina. Maybe that’s why I don’t exactly understand their use? If a traffic officer is installing the boot then isn’t it breaking the law to remove it? I understand the theft aspect of it (taking the now removed boot), but is this in the same line as not paying a parking fine? Here you just get towed or ticketed. I’m assuming you get a ticket and a boot? I figured the boot was to immobilize the vehicle so it could be towed at a later date.
My understanding is that this is done by private parking enforcement companies, not the police. They boot your car and then you pay them the parking fine to remove it. That’s why removing it on your own is a civil dispute: provided you don’t damage the boot, you’re basically down to “is it legal for someone to circumvent the methods a private party uses to enforce their parking fines”?
These women are doing the lord’s work! As the article pointed out, booting has been a real issue for years. Good on them for doing something proactive about this.
