If a student loses an item, there is a good chance the NIU Police Department has it.

The NIU police department provides its own lost and found service. They are one of several lost and found services students can use on campus. Items not claimed at the end of the year are sold in an auction hosted by the NIU police. The next auction will be at 9 a.m. on April 28 at the Huskie Stadium. The NIU police does not profit from the auction, NIU Police Sgt. Alan Smith said.

When students need to report something missing, they can go online and fill out information about their item on a form. They can also visit or call the NIU police to report a missing item. Reports are accepted all day, Smith said.

This semester, 202 items were reported missing. There were 451 items reported missing last semester and 750 items were reported missing in 2011, Smith said.

The numbers do not accurately represent how many items are lost on campus, Smith said, because not all lost items are reported to the NIU police.

“Every day – literally – people are losing things on campus,” Smith said.

Once the NIU police receives a lost item, it sees if anyone has reported an item missing.

“We have a lot of honest people in our community who help out,” Smith said.

Usually a lost item is successfully returned to the owner because of someone being nice, said Sophia Martinelli, junior nursing major who works at the Neptune residence hall help desk.

When people claim a lost item, they are required to describe it, Smith said. Someone may misrepresent themselves to get a lost item, he said.