“The Boyz in the Hood are here at NIU,” was a stern warning from Willie Fowler, graduate adviser of Omega Psi Phi, in the wake of violent incidents at NIU functions last fall.

“Well, sort of,” is the consensus of at least two local law enforcement officials.

Fowler addressed a number of students last semester at a meeting of the Grant Towers South Black Student Caucus in response to an increase in violence at campus activities.

While the proximity to Chicago invites the possibility of violence, local law enforcement officials are working to curb violence.

“Is there gang activity at NIU?” DeKalb County State’s Attorney Mike Coghlan queried. “Yes, there is, but comparatively speaking NIU is a safe place to live and go to school.”

Coghlan and a panel of experts addressed a number of NIU administrators last month on the gang issue. There were presentations on gang identification describing colors, attire, signs, tattoos and graffiti.

Three former gang members-turned-successful, law-abiding NIU students also spoke of their experiences, said Dwight Gentry, an NIU patrolman.

Gentry has had some special training on gangs and was involved with the presentation.

He noted the evidence of gang problems in the DeKalb community which includes arrests, contact made with gang members and information from NIU students.

“It’s not a crime to be a gang member,” he said, noting the difficulty of trying to pin down gang members. “We deal with people as individuals.”

Gentry indicated that there might be some NIU students who are gang members but also said the majority of criminal problems seem to have come from visitors to NIU, whether welcome or unwelcome.

Gentry said often times students who have weak ties to the gang community back home might get visitors and might be afraid not to tell them to stay home.

He said sometimes these “gangbangers” are really nobodies where they come from, but the NIU environment fosters an environment where they can play big shot because they know a few gang signs and wear their hats funny.

“It’s also a nice safe haven for them to come when they may have a warrant out or something,” Gentry said. “We’re trying to create an environment where gang members will learn that DeKalb is no place for them.”

One of those steps includes tighter security measures at NIU dances, which were initiated in the fall. Gentry and others from the University Police worked closely with Rick Clark, associate director of University Programming and Activities, to sharpen student security techniques.

First, guests must now present a photo ID and be signed in by an NIU student who will be held responsible for their behavior.

The second and generally less-popular approach is the patting down of students who also must pass through metal detectors.

“No one’s ever thrilled about being frisked,” Clark said, adding that students will subject themselves to it as opposed to the threat of weapons being present. “We’ve had mostly positive feedback.”

At a dance on Jan. 29, the first major function of the year for Clark’s staff, three knives and several bottles of alcohol were confiscated, Clark said.

Both Clark and Gentry praised the “professional” post-training work of the student security staff. “They try to get the job done without intimidating,” Clark said. “They take their jobs a little more seriously now.”

“We’ve had no incidents where anything’s been snuck in,” Gentry said. “Students appear to be adjusting to it well

“NIU is developing a reputation of being very efficient in these matters,” Gentry added.