DeKALB – Northern Illinois University has a new police chief, Darren Mitchell, a 21-year veteran of the department who’s served as acting chief since April.
“This is my home, this was an opportunity of a lifetime,” Mitchell said. “Every chief we have had prior to me has come in from the outside.”
Mitchell was chosen after an extensive selection process which reviewed candidates nationwide. According to a Tuesday news release from NIU, Mitchell was the first person in the 58-year history of the agency to rise through the ranks and become the chief.
Mitchell, who has served as acting chief since April and who first came to NIU in 1988 as a freshman studying political science, said he’s excited to lead the department. He joined NIU police as a patrol officer in 2000.
He soon rose to the rank of patrol sergeant and was put in charge of a new community policing model that established Community Safety Centers within each of the residence halls on campus. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2005 and achieved the rank of deputy chief in 2011.
“Chief Mitchell is known and respected on campus and in our community, and he brings unique insights to the job that will help him lead the department,” said NIU Chief of Staff Matt Streb in a statement.
Mitchell reports directly to Streb, according to the release.
“During the interview process, and throughout his time at NIU, Darren has demonstrated a clear commitment to progressive policing; a dedication to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion within the department; and a passion for creating a safe and secure environment for all who live, learn and work at NIU,” Streb said.
Mitchell was chosen out of a pool of two dozen candidates, said Senior Associate Vice President and Chief Engagement Officer Rena Cotsones, who chaired the search.
“The search committee evaluated a broad range of applicants from as nearby as Chicago and from as far away as Florida, Texas and New York,” Costones said. “It was a deep and talented pool, which yielded three strong candidates, all of whom had distinct strengths. think we are all delighted to see a long-time Huskie emerge as the best candidate and be selected for this important position.”
During his career, Mitchell has had a hand in the management of every aspect of the department, including patrol, investigations, emergency planning, the Huskie Safe Line and the K9 unit, the release states. As a member of the department’s command staff, he played a key role in the development of departmental general orders and policies, fiscal management and employee hiring.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1992, Mitchell took a position as an assistant director of the university’s CHANCE Program, where he remained while completing his master’s degree in Adult Continuing Education. During his time on the force, Mitchell graduated from the School of Police Staff and Command as well as from the Executive Management and Executive Decision-Making programs at the Advanced Police Management Institute at Northwestern University.
While an undergraduate student at NIU, Mitchell met his wife, Melody, who currently serves as the assistant dean for strategic communication in the NIU College of Law. The couple have made their home in DeKalb for more than 30 years and have raised three children, two sons and a daughter.
As chief, Mitchell said that he will work to strengthen the relationship of the department with students, faculty and staff across campus, the release states. An important part of those efforts will be soliciting input from the Police-Citizen Advisory Group created last year to seek input on campus safety from key constituencies.
“I have always subscribed to the idea that keeping campus safe is a partnership between police and the community,” Mitchell said in a news release. “And that to serve the community effectively, you must understand its needs through engagement and dialogue. This group will be an important part of that process.”
That advisory group will help the department strengthen its community policing efforts, which Mitchell said will be a cornerstone of his time as chief. He said community policing is a strategy instrumental to combatting crime.
The new chief said he plans to maintain and build the department’s relationship with the City of DeKalb Police Department.
“Chief Byrd and I have been working together since he came on board back in May, he has been a tremendous partner to work with,” Mitchell said in an interview. “We meet weekly to talk about different overlapping public safety interests. We want to continue to work with our city partners to make sure we have a heavy and visible presence in the area.”
Mitchell says he also would like to start regular meetings with students and talk about different things going on with public safety around campus.
“I want to continue that, I want to make sure that we have regular meetings established so that we get feedback.” Mitchell said. “[Chief] David [Byrd] and I have been working hard together. Our team, officers, do a great job working together in order to try and combat the issues in the area.”
Mitchell said he also plans to create the department’s first strategic plan, which will include the development of ways to recruit and retain officers and staff at the department.
Mitchell’s goals include increasing of women in the department, particularly in leadership roles.
This story was updated as 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021 with additional comment following an interview with NIU Police Chief Darren Mitchell.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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