The School of Medicine Office of Space Management, in collaboration with the Duke University Police Department (DUPD), regularly reviews and assesses safety and security protocols for our faculty, staff, and students. As your safety and security is our top priority, we strive to ensure that our community is prepared, well-informed, and educated as to what to do in the unlikely event of an armed intruder.
As a result of a recent review of classroom, meeting, and event spaces in the School of Medicine, the following security measures have been put in place:
- Emergency Lockdown thumb locks have been installed in small/medium classrooms and auditoriums managed by School of Medicine. The following rooms have had this hardware installed:
- Alban Barrus Conf room 3031
- Duke South Purple zone level 3
- Jones 143
- MSRB1 001
- MSRB3 1125
- North Pavilion 0400
- Snyderman 4002
- Emergency lockdown switches have been installed in many of the larger capacity spaces. The following rooms have this hardware installed:
- Duke South Green zone level 2 Markee M224
- Duke South Teal zone level 0 Amphitheater 0916
- Duke South Yellow zone level 1 MBS Lecture 0101A
- Hanes House Auditorium 131
- Hock Plaza level 0 auditorium PG14
- Nanaline Duke 147
Bryan Research Auditorium 103 will be completed in December 2025.
- In addition, many rooms in Trent Semans Center have had the appropriate hardware installed
DUPD provides information on what to do in the event of an armed intruder. Flyers of these instructions will be posted in the rooms near the doors where these locks have been installed.
If there is an emergency, call DUPD at 919.684.2444 or dial 9-1-1
For non-emergency questions or concerns about door locks, call E&O at 919.684.3232
Emergency Lockdown Thumb Lock
Thumb locks are found on doors that use a lever handle for room egress.
To Lock and Prevent Entry from Outside:
- Turn the thumb lock until it stops (it will only turn one way).
- When it is offset from center the door is locked.
To Unlock
- Turn the thumb lock until it stops (it will only turn one way).
- When thumb turn is in center the door is unlocked.
Locking the door does not prevent room occupants from exiting using standard door operations
Emergency Lockdown Switch
Emergency lockdown switches are normally mounted at the lectern and on the wall adjacent to the exit door.
To Lock and Prevent Entry from the Outside
- Lift protective shield to expose the red “PUSH” button.
- Press the red “PUSH” button. It will stay depressed and will lock the doors.
- The button will activate a silent security alarm and an alert will be sent to DUPD.
To Unlock
- Life protective shield to expose the red “PUSH” button.
- Turn the red “PUSH” button clockwise until it returns to original extended position.
Locking the door does not prevent room occupants from exiting using standard door operations