# Emergency Lockdown

Verkada access controllers can perform emergency lockdown events to help protect you, your colleagues, and your assets. During a lockdown event, all selected doors and/or buildings are locked down, and access to these doors is restricted to authorized user groups.

{% hint style="danger" %}

* You must be an [Access Site Admin](/access-control/getting-started/roles-and-permissions-for-access-control.md) to create a lockdown scenario for a site.
* Lockdown outputs and inputs require a lockdown scenario for the site where the controller is installed.
  {% endhint %}

***

## Create a lockdown scenario

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Access.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Select a site from the All Sites menu.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Click Lockdowns, then click**  <i class="fa-plus">:plus:</i> **to create a new lockdown scenario.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Follow the instructions in the configuration window to configure the lockdown scenario.**

a. Under **Create**, provide a name and emergency message for the lockdown scenario.\
b. Under **Doors**, select doors from the site(s) that will lock down when the lockdown scenario is triggered.\
c. Under **Permissions**, specify who is able to trigger the lockdown scenario, release the lockdown scenario, or unlock doors during the lockdown scenario.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
If multiple sites are assigned to a lockdown scenario:

* If a user is not an [Access Site Admin](/access-control/getting-started/roles-and-permissions-for-access-control.md) for all the sites in the scenario, they can only add or remove doors from the sites where they have admin permissions.
* If an [AUX input](/access-control/configuration/configure-the-ax11-io-controller/configure-an-aux-output-on-an-access-controller.md) is configured to trigger the lockdown scenario, a user must be an [Access Site Admin](/access-control/getting-started/roles-and-permissions-for-access-control.md) for **all** assigned sites to edit or delete the AUX input configuration.
  {% endhint %}

***

## Clone a lockdown scenario

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**In Command, go to All Products > Access.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Select a site from the All Sites menu.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Click Lockdowns, then select a lockdown.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**At the top right, click** <i class="fa-copy">:copy:</i> **Clone.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Select a site to clone to and click Next.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Follow the configuration window to configure the lockdown scenario and make changes.**
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

***

## Initiate a lockdown from Command

Once a lockdown scenario has been created, you will see a new **Lockdown** ![](/files/1jwZiWq6D8InChWmEihl)icon at the bottom left of your navigation bar.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**At the bottom of your navigation bar, click Lockdowns.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Select the lockdown to initiate.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Click Activate to begin the lockdown.**
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
Lockdowns can also be triggered remotely from the [Verkada Pass App](/access-control/users-and-credentials/verkada-pass-app.md).
{% endhint %}

***

## Configure an AUX input to initiate a lockdown locally

Once a lockdown scenario has been created, you can configure an AUX input on an access controller to trigger the lockdown scenario when the AUX input is activated.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Access.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Under Controllers, select the access controller where you want to set up an AUX input.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**From the access controller’s details page, click Add and select AUX Input.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Under Settings:**

a. Enter a unique name.\
b. Select the desired name, port, and connection type.\
c. Click **Next**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Under Actions:**

a. Select **Lockdown Trigger** as the **Input Type**.\
b. Select the **Lockdown Scenario** that you want to trigger when the AUX input is activated.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Click Done.**
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
If an AUX input is configured to trigger a Lockdown Scenario that includes doors on other access controllers, the AUX input’s access controller will establish a local connection with the other access controllers through the local area network (LAN).\
​\
When the AUX input is activated, the local connection(s) will lock down all doors in the lockdown scenario through the local network. For more details, see [Cross-Device Local Connection for Access Control](/access-control/integrations-and-alerts/create-a-person-of-interest-from-an-access-user/cross-device-local-connections-for-access-control.md).
{% endhint %}

***

## Release a lockdown from Command

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Log in to Command.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Click Release Lockdown on the red banner at the top of the page.**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Click Confirm.**
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
Lockdowns can also be released remotely from the [Verkada Pass App](/access-control/users-and-credentials/verkada-pass-app.md).
{% endhint %}

{% embed url="<https://player.vimeo.com/video/730242257>" %}

***

{% hint style="info" %}
**Prefer to see it in action?** Check out the [video tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQMEbHMQO4k).
{% endhint %}


---

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