The Department of Police and Public Safety provides comprehensive safety and support services to campus and the community.
Our fully trained and certified police officers protect and serve the NIU campus. We form partnerships, protect life and property, respond to medical emergencies and conduct investigations to help keep our community safe.
The patrol division is responsible for the majority of our community interaction. Patrol officers are present on campus every day, responding to calls and assisting in emergencies. Their duties include:
Patrol officers are here for your protection. Feel free to ask them questions, alert them of suspicious activity and call on them for help. Be sure to listen to their directions during events and emergencies.
Our public safety and administrative support operations support and complement our patrol operations. Our public safety and administrative services units include Investigations, Telecommunications, Training, Records, Evidence Management and Field Training. We work together to maintain a safe campus environment and assist in emergencies and investigations.
The dispatchers at our telecommunications center are the first point of contact when someone calls the police. The center also maintains lost and found and concealed carry storage services.
The investigations unit consists of a detective sergeant and several detectives. Our detectives are assigned to general crimes and are trained in many areas. Detectives are well-versed in all aspects of investigation and can handle both less complex crimes, such as theft, and more complex crimes, such as sexual assault.
Detectives focus on investigations, including:
Ultimately, our detectives prepare their investigations for court with the victim's cooperation and frequently obtain search warrants and arrest warrants.
Our investigations unit participates in the DeKalb County Major Case Squad, a collection of investigations units within the county. The squad is activated when an agency needs additional resources to quickly resolve a crime.
We're committed to providing the highest level of service to maintain trust and confidence in our department. We welcome feedback to help us identify areas where our policies, practices and training either excel or need improvement. A supervisor is always on duty to address immediate concerns.
Complete an online form to file a complaint or submit a compliment about a police officer. You can also call our non-emergency number (815-753-1212) or stop by in person.
We work hard to stay current with the latest training in our field. Each year we attend several specialized training and continuing education courses, most of which are sponsored by the Northern Illinois Training Advisory Board and accredited by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.
Topics our police officers and civilian personnel are trained on include:
We offer classes to help our campus and community deal with real-world emergencies. These include first aid and CPR classes and A.L.I.C.E. training, which focuses on preparing for active threat response.
Officers acting as evidence technicians collect evidence from crime scenes. They use a systematic process that includes photographing the scene and collecting items of interest (DNA samples, fingerprints, etc.). They're certified through the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. Many also have specialized training in areas such as sexual assault and death investigations.
The responsibility of being an evidence technician is added to an officer's existing patrol or investigation duties, allowing us to provide evidence collection services at any time to the community at large.
Our records unit provides the following services:
Paperwork associated with court processes is routed to the DeKalb Municipal Court and DeKalb County Circuit Clerk's Office.
Contact the records unit at 815-753-9628 or niupdrecords@niu.edu.
Our Field Training Unit consists of an Administrative Sergeant and several Field Training Officers, who are responsible for training newly hired police officers. Our field training program is learner-centered and designed to produce police personnel who are “problem-solvers” capable of performing in rapidly evolving circumstances with many variables and uncertain outcomes. The foundation of this program is rooted in the concepts of problem-based learning, adult learning theory, problem-oriented policing, and community engagement..
To effectively manage a disaster, emergency response procedures and principles must be shared throughout the community to coordinate local, state and federal emergency response partners. Accordingly, we maintain the university's emergency operations plan and implement the National Planning Frameworks, which include prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery.
NIU's emergency operations plan identifies essential functions for managing an expanding incident. It also specifies how the emergency operations center will be activated, as well as who will be assigned to perform essential roles, such as each university function, law enforcement, emergency medical services and mass care.
In case of emergency: Call 911
Non-emergency phone number: 815-753-1212
Records: 815-753-9628
Department email: niupd@niu.edu
Records request email: niupdrecords@niu.edu