Introducing the Lock Block; how do these things work?
The rubber device titled “Lock Block” has recently been added to the doors of Moorpark College as a safety measure. The device prevents locked doors from completely closing, allowing the handle to stay locked and students to quickly lock doors without the need of keys in the case of danger on campus. Photo credit: Willem Schep
October 18, 2016
Classrooms and offices around campus have been equipped with the new Lock Block safety feature to provide increased security in the event of an active shooter on campus.
These “Lock Block’s,” the small, black rubber device attached to doors around campus you may have seen on your classroom doors are to make locking doors faster in case of an immediate threat on campus. They are designed so that all doors to a room can be closed and quickly locked without having to use the keys, according to Moorpark Police Supervisor Lieutenant Gregory Beckley.
“The lock block is not a lock itself, but it holds the door to a certain extent so the actual lock system of the door doesn’t engage,” Beckley said.
The device, attached to the inner side of the door, close to the handle, is meant to hold the door open when the door itself has been locked. With the Lock Block in place, the doors are kept partially open, but locked at all times. In the case ofan active shooter or other potentially dangerous scenario on campus, students just have to slide the Lock Block out of the way and shut the door to lock the classroom without the need of keys.
Above is a short video explaining how these devices work and can be operated in the case of an immediate threat on campus.
