While most cases handled by city or county law enforcement would result in an arrest, the University Police has another option available.

When UP officers are called in to handle a situation involving students, officers determine what action is warranted. Like other law enforcement departments, officers could make an arrest that would remain on the student’s permanent record. But, NIU has an internal system that allows officers to refer the offending student to the Judicial Office, where Director Larry Bolles and his staff will determine the student’s fate.

Although students may prefer to take their chances in the legal system than risk expulsion, Bolles is confident that the average student would rather be sent home than sent to jail.

Lt. Matt Kiederlen of the University Police said that the outcome of a situation is left to the officer’s discretion.

“If a situation warrants an arrest, that will be on someone’s permanent record. Then that’s the way they’ll go,” Kiederlen said.

Bolles said that each report involving a student in trouble is sent to his office, and most of the minor offenses get referred to his office.

“If you beat up your roommate, they’ll send you to jail,” Bolles said,”but I’ll get a copy of the report, too.”

Bolles said his office has around 150 hearings each school year, and this year has been average so far. The office norm is one or two cases each day, but Bolles said that being a busy season, it will hear six cases each day for about a week. Most cases are referrals from the UP or from the residence halls and are resolved outside of a hearing.

Kiederlen said his department feels that it makes more sense to send students to the Judicial Office where there are trained officials and counselors to deal with the students’ problems, without marring the record of the students. This gives the students the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, instead of having them follow after leaving the university.

University probation, community service, counseling and anger management are the most common sentences handed down by the Judicial Office. Bolles said that anger management is a new service offered through the Counseling Center, and his office has made many recommendations for that program this school year.

“We train our officers to be reasonable,” Kiederlen said. “It boils down to what we feel is common sense.”

Bolles agreed.

“Most of the time when the students are cooperative with police, they get sent to my office,” Bolles said. “The police are very good about trying to use the on-campus system first when possible.”