University officials are continuing efforts to maximize campus safety by installing new door locks and purchasing the rights to a training video that illustrates what the campus community should do in emergency situations.

Safety efforts were amped up following the shooting at Virginia Tech just over a year ago.

“We’ve seen from recent shootings in the U.S. that when a gunman is on a campus it’s too easy for that person to roam from classroom to classroom looking for victims,” said Don Enloe, director of Campus Safety, in a press release.

As a result, DU installed thumb latches on classroom doors so they can be locked from inside the room in one action. They are similar to a deadbolt lock you would find at home or in a hotel room.

Enloe said approximately 85 percent of classrooms already have the new locks installed. Most of the offices on campus already have a similar feature installed

“The locks don’t guarantee safety, but it will make it harder for someone to enter a classroom and that might force the individual to keep moving,” Enloe said.

The University also purchased rights to show a training video titled, “Shots Fired: When Lightning Strikes.”

The 20-minute film, which was shown to all incoming freshmen during orientation week, outlines what the campus community should in the case of a shooter on campus.

The film advises spreading out if you are trapped in a classroom, being aware of your environment and possible exits at all times and trusting your instincts. It was produced by the Center for Personal Protection and Safety.

Although the new safety features primarily adress protection from shooters and/or intruders on campus, which are of a “high priority,” according to Enloe, those types of events aren’t the “single focus” of campus safety efforts.

Other safety options were introduced last year, such as the Critical Incident Notification System (CINS).

“The text messaging system and things like that are utilized for lots of different emergencies,” Enloe said.

Incoming students and new employees are urged to register for the system, which sends out texts, e-mails and voice messages during emergency situations, including shootings and weather-related incidents.

Those that sign up can choose which method they want to receive the information through, from one option to all three.

University officials are also looking into some additional safety options, including television message boards and an emergency siren.

The message board system would utilize the flat-screen televisions found in many of the newer buildings to send out emergency messages.

The emergency siren would help raise awareness of campus emergencies, particularly for people in buildings near the ends of campus.

Enloe said the reason these safety features are being implemented now is a result of improved technology.

“With the text message systems [for instance], the technology wasn’t there 10 years ago,” he said. “Virginia Tech was the first campus shooting in a while, so that got everybody thinking about it again.

“A lot of these things were just the technology wasn’t there or some of these things weren’t high priorities [at the time].”