Be prepared!

Lockdown drills are scheduled for Wednesday, March 1, and Thursday, March 2, across campus.

The University of Houston-Downtown Police Department (UHDPD) and the UHD Emergency Management Office will conduct the drills campus-wide over the two-day period from 9 a.m. to noon each day. Please see the schedule below. Messaging will be sent out via text and email notifying UHD community members when their building will begin the lockdown. Text and email notifications will be sent when each drill is finished.

This year, we will implement the new Standard Response Protocol (SRP) for Higher Education. Information on the new SRP can be found on the UHDPD webpage. The term of art “Lockdown” is followed by the directive “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.” The action associated with “Lockdown” is to secure individual classroom doors, move away from inside corridor line of sight, and maintain silence until first responders release the room.

Classrooms can be locked down by pressing the red button with the word “PUSH” on it, located within a few feet of instructors’ podiums. Once the Lockdown system is activated, the doors can open from the inside so occupants may exit; however, the doors are locked from the outside (hallway side). More information on the Classroom Lockdown System can be found on the UHD Emergency Management webpage.

Although participation in the drill is voluntary, community members are strongly encouraged to participate. During the respective time, UHD faculty and staff are asked to implement the lockdown procedures for their areas. Community members can participate by silencing their phones, turning off lights, and ensuring the doors to their classrooms or offices are locked. Evaluators will be checking all areas during the drills to determine if any improvements are required. 

If you find yourself in a hallway, public space, or open area, consider looking for a place to hide and silence your phone but keep it turned on to look for updates via the UHD Alert system. Additionally, some public-facing offices have “panic buttons,” which will be tested during the drills as well.