A van intended to solve some of the size problems found in smaller vehicles is the newest addition to the University Police Department force.

The UPs latest mode of transportation, a converted 1989 General Motors Astro Van, was put into service about three weeks ago and has had a positive response from its users.

“So far, the response has been pretty good,” UP Capt. James Webster said.

The decision to purchase the van revolved primarily around space limitations in conventional sedans. Generally, police vehicles are converted Dodge Diplomats, but Webster said Dodge plans to phase out that line.

Other conventional sedans are simply built too small to safely serve as police vehicles, he said.

The van, purchased from Coffman Truck Sales in Aurora and modified by the Tiempo Van Conversion Company based in California, cost about $11,500, Donald Widick, director of NIU Materials Management, said.

An Ohio branch office modified the van, which can hold up to seven people, Webster said. Tiempo only uses GMC frames, and all of the additional equipment is cut to fit the vehicle’s frame, he said.

The van also provides additional room for standard police equipment including radio, lights and public address system equipment, Webster said. Additional room for transporting prisoners or personnel also is provided, he said.

While police cars are shrinking, equipment remains the same size. “There just isn’t enough room for all of that stuff,” Webster said.

The larger vehicles are needed because of past police encounters with large crowds at NIU and a general hazard posed by sharp edges on police equipment, he said.

Webster cited as an example the near-riot at the Sept. 12, 1987 NIU Huskie football game against Lamar University of Texas. During the game, fans pelted each other with corncobs, ice, bottles and condiments. Several injuries were reported in the incident.

“It’s kind of a hassle to borrow a bus from transportation” in those situations where several people need to be transported, he said.

Webster said the van’s size also makes it easier to get in and out and facilitates the process of placing a struggling person in the van.

The van also provides additional safety features, including electric locks and windows controlled by the driver. The electric windows make it easier and quicker to talk with people on the passenger side of the van, and the locks also make it easier and safer while transporting rowdy passengers, Webster said.

A screen separates the driver and passengers to insure the passenger cannot disable the driver. Webster said that in the past, unruly passengers being transported to the DeKalb County Jail have struggled “for whatever reason” and have tried to strike the driver.

“Most police vehicles have something there that physically separates the officer just for that reason,” he said.

In addition to the van, the UPs have two Dodge Diplomats in service. The UPs always have three vehicles in operation, he said.

UP vehicles usually are replaced every two years and are driven between 20,000 and 25,000 miles each year, Webster said. “After two years, they’re getting kind of tired,” he said.

The van is expected to last three years because the vehicle is similar to a “light truck,” Webster said.

UP vehicles, as well as all NIU vehicles, are leased from NIU’s transportation department and are owned by the Board of Regents, NIU’s governing body. “Technically, all ‘property’ belongs to the Board of Regents. They’re the owner of the title,” he said.

The van has accumulated about 1,400 to 1,500 miles since it has been in service. Officers are still adjusting to the van, but have not encountered any major difficulties.

Future van purchases will hinge on how this van serves NIU. “The intention is, if it (the van) works out, to get more of them,” Webster said.