Lts. Darren Mitchell and Todd Henert of the NIU Police Department will offer their unique experience and insight at the 2008 National Campus Security Summit (NCSS) on Monday.

The summit will take place Sunday and Monday at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) and will be the second gathering. The inaugural summit took place shortly after the Virginia Tech shootings last year.

According to a summit invitation letter by UCO President W. Roger Webb, “The 2008 National Campus Security Summit will offer practical perspectives on issues pertinent to securing our country’s campuses, including crisis assessment, preparation and response, and the prevention and early intervention of behaviors and environmental factors that affect students, faculty and staff in our campus communities.”

Henert declined comment Thursday afternoon when asked about his and Mitchell’s roles at the conference. Mitchell and Chief Donald Grady did not return messages left Thursday.

“We are pleased to welcome the lieutenants to campus,” said Adrienne Nobles, director of communications and marketing for UCO, via e-mail. “Their experience as first responders to the recent shootings at NIU will provide valuable perspective to our summit participants.”

Experts in psychology, law enforcement and security will address campus security topics, including “Forging Security and Safety,” “Best Practices for Campus Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment” and “Best Practices in Threat Assessment.”

Mitchell and Henert will present “Experiences and Key Lessons Learned from the NIU Tragedy.”