SEMO enhances campus safety with new U-shaped bolt door locks

Southeast Missouri State University has implemented new security measures across campus, installing U-bolt-style door locks in all academic classrooms to improve safety in the event of emergencies.

The locks allow faculty, staff, and students to secure classroom doors without stepping into hallways during critical situations. Jeff Crites, SEMO's Emergency Manager, explained the design and intent behind these additions.

"It's almost like a U-bolt door lock. It's designed so that faculty, staff, or students don't have to go into the hallway to secure a door," Crites said. "If a door is closed but it's not locked, an incident happens, someone can go over and just very quickly lock the door and try and prevent an active shooter or violent intruder from getting into the building."

The effectiveness of U-bolt-style locks has been demonstrated in other districts, such as the Fort Smith School District in Arkansas. In 2015, the district installed similar locks in their classrooms to allow teachers and students to secure doors quickly during emergencies without entering hallways.

The decision to implement these locks at SEMO followed feedback from faculty during active shooter training sessions last spring.

Concerns about the need to exit classrooms to secure doors led Crites and the Facilities Management team to explore safer alternatives. After reviewing similar measures in the Cape Girardeau School District, the university gained approval from SEMO President Carlos Vargas to proceed with the installation.

"We started looking at them last spring– last semester when we were doing active shooter training with faculty and staff. One of their concerns was not having to go into the hallway to lock a door," Crites said. "Cape School District had already used these.”

The locks were installed over winter break to avoid disrupting classes. Facilities Management completed the installation in every academic building, with follow-ups underway to address any missed rooms.

In addition to the door locks, SEMO has increased surveillance by adding 58 new security cameras and using metal detectors at campus events.

Crites noted that these measures have been in development for some time and are not solely a response to recent gun-related incidents near campus.

"A lot of this was just changes that needed to happen, and it just took a little bit of time to get them employed," he said.

SEMO's Department of Public Safety (DPS) continues to collaborate with local law enforcement, including the Cape Girardeau Police Department and the Cape County Sheriff's Office, to ensure coordinated responses during emergencies. This partnership extends to the use of specialized resources, such as Cape PD's new gun-detecting K-9.

"If we have a need, we can call and request they respond," Crites said.

Faculty feedback was a major driver behind the lock installations, and Crites emphasized that the changes stem largely from the university's active shooter training program, which now includes all faculty and staff.

"A lot of the changes come around from our active shooter program that we implemented a couple years ago," he said. "We go out and we teach all the UI 100, BI 100 active shooter training that expanded to all faculty and staff."

Future security upgrades remain under consideration, though Crites acknowledged that costs could influence the pace of further improvements.

"Part of my job is I'm always looking at new ways. I'm trying to figure out what did we miss, how can we improve. There's a lot of things that we would like to do. It's just a matter of cost," Crites said.

DPS is encouraging anyone interested in active shooter training to reach out. Updates on safety measures are shared through SEMO's Newswire, the campus portal, and event signage.