Georgia Southern University has begun installing school safety locks in classrooms, conference rooms and laboratories around campus.

The device allows for doors to be secured during an active shooter or intruder situation without having to lock the door from the outside with a key.

According to the Office of Public Safety’s website, to secure the door in an emergency, the lock is flipped into the emergency position, so that it does not stick out beyond the door and the door is pulled shut until it latches. When not in use, the lock should remain in the normal position.

The safety locks are being added to campus as a safety precaution, Kelly Nilsson, director of emergency management for Public Safety said.

“Unfortunately, violent incidents such as active shooter incidents have increased across the country over the last few years,” Nilsson said. “As new hazards become evident, so do our mitigation and preventative measures to counteract the risk to our community.”

While they do not have any plans at this time, the university is open to adding more safety features onto campus in the future.

“Departments continuously assess hazards that pose a risk to our community and look for ways to prevent or mitigate the danger from those hazards,” Nilsson said. “It is very possible that other safety measures and mechanisms will be adopted in the future to make the university as safe as reasonably possible.”

For more information on how to stay safe in an active shooter situation, click here.

Brendan Ward, The George-Anne Coverage/Daily Managing Editor, gamed@georgiasouthern.edu