Shielding students: local companies produce devices to protect students

COVINA, Calif. (FOX 11) - It's called the '"Anchorman" and the way it works is simple. The goal too is simple: keeping children alive during an active shooter situation.

It's creator, from the LA County Sheriff's Department, says ''we're in a crisis."

The Anchorman is produced and marketed in Covina and like many similar products you can find online, it is an ''add on'' device for classroom doors. The aim is to keep people barricaded from the inside, quickly, since most current classroom doors do not have a locking mechanism on the inside and must be locked with a key from the outside.

The issue with fire professionals though, is that these devices, while well intended, may if used incorrectly or at the wrong time, trap kids inside when first responders are trying to access the room.

That's why such devices are in conflict with most fire codes.

The Anchorman comes with a quick release device that first responders or school official can use to quickly open the door from the outside, and other similar products have similar solutions but it's still an issue for fire marshals.

Another similar device comes from a South Bay company and is called '123 Lockdown Latch.' This device is similar to the little sliding bar you use on a hotel room door to prop a locked door open. With that latch added on the top of the door, and the door open a crack, your door remains locked all the time with the key, but in an emergency, you slide the ''lockdown latch'' over, the door closes, and again, is already locked, similar to a hotel room.

Experts on school safety say if the bad guy finds a door locked, he usually moves on.