The city of DeKalb received a $50,000 grant for a new initiative to put police on Huskie Buses. While this may not seem necessary, this grant was specifically applied for to be used in this initiative and could not have gone to other areas of safety.
The safety of NIU students, faculty, staff and residents is vital. If students want to go to classes or anywhere, they want to feel safe and secure. Other initiatives, like fixing the roads around the campus, putting lighting on roads or placing 911 call boxes around campus, could have been more effective in promoting safety.
David Byrd, police chief for the city of DeKalb, said the bus company TransDev was responsible for submitting the request for the $50,000.
“This grant was not the grant that the DeKalb Police Department applied for. The bus company here in DeKalb, TransDev, they actually submitted this grant and they got it, and part of the grant was about security,” Byrd said.
Byrd also mentioned the police shifts on buses will not run on an announced schedule. This way bus riders will not know ahead of time when and where the police officers are going to be there as a safety precaution.
“If they know you’re going to be there, they’ll avoid you, you know, if they’re criminals. So, we want to be able to make it an effective mission in the long run,” Byrd said.
Michael Neuenkirchen, the transit manager for the city of DeKalb, shared his opinion on putting police on Huskie Buses during the Jan. 27 City Council meeting.
“The goal is to put police on Huskie Buses, and to get officers familiar with how the bus system works and the service along with having the bus drivers get familiar with the officers that they contact for emergency services,” Neuenkirchen said.
With recent efforts from President Donald Trump to enforce immigration laws and deport illegal immigrants, added police presence around campus may scare some students. NIU students should not worry about ICE being involved with the police on buses initiative, as the point of the initiative is for NIU students’ safety and well-being.
“Local law enforcement will not be involved in any immigration status type situations,” Byrd said. “When it comes to immigration, is that is handled by the federal government, not the local government.”
Faith Nina Mesina, a first-year art education major, shared her thoughts on the Huskie Bus Police initiative.
“Having protection on buses is a really good idea, but $50,000 is a lot of money. I think in my opinion calling the police will be more efficient. I took buses every night and it’s not that dangerous,” Mesina said. “If you are walking at night, they could use the NIU Safe app to call someone to walk with you.”
If you feel unsafe on campus, you can call the NIU Police Department’s non-emergency number 815-753-1212. If you have a night class and you don’t want to walk alone, you can utilize the NIU Safe app to allow police or friends to virtually monitor your location.
While this added police presence on buses may not be needed, its ultimate goal is to promote safety. While NIU should continue to implement initiatives that promote campus security, those future endeavors will have to come from a different monetary source.
