Per Media Release:
After considering a cohort of candidates from across the country, Northern Illinois University has selected Darren Mitchell as its new chief of police.
Mitchell, a 21-year veteran of the NIU Police Department, is the first person in the 58-year history of the agency to rise through the ranks and become the chief.
“Chief Mitchell is known and respected on campus and in our community, and he brings unique insights to the job that will help him lead the department,” said NIU Chief of Staff Matt Streb, to whom the chief reports. “During the interview process, and throughout his time at NIU, Darren has demonstrated a clear commitment to progressive policing; a dedication to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion within the department; and a passion for creating a safe and secure environment for all who live, learn and work at NIU.”
Those traits set Mitchell apart from a field of nearly two dozen candidates, said Senior Associate Vice President and Chief Engagement Officer Rena Cotsones, who chaired the search.
“The search committee evaluated a broad range of applicants from as nearby as Chicago and from as far away as Florida, Texas and New York. It was a deep and talented pool, which yielded three strong candidates, all of whom had distinct strengths,” Cotsones said. “I think we are all delighted to see a long-time Huskie emerge as the best candidate and be selected for this important position.”
Mitchell, who has served as acting chief since April and who first came to NIU in 1988 as a freshman studying political science, is excited to lead the department.
“I am thrilled at the opportunity to continue serving the university in this new capacity,” said Mitchell, who joined the department as a patrol officer in January of 2000.
He soon rose to the rank of patrol sergeant and was put in charge of a new community policing model that established Community Safety Centers within each of the residence halls on campus. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2005 and achieved the rank of deputy chief in 2011.
During his career, he has had a hand in the management of every aspect of the department, including patrol, investigations, emergency planning, the Huskie Safe Line and even the K9 unit. As a member of the department’s command staff, he has played a key role in the development of departmental general orders and policies, fiscal management and employee hiring.
As chief, Mitchell said that he will work to strengthen the relationship of the department with students, faculty and staff across campus. An important part of those efforts will be soliciting input from the Police-Citizen Advisory Group created last year to seek input on campus safety from key constituencies. “I have always subscribed to the idea that keeping campus safe is a partnership between police and the community, and that to serve the community effectively, you must understand its needs through engagement and dialogue. This group will be an important part of that process.”
That advisory group will help the department strengthen its community policing efforts, which Mitchell said will be a cornerstone of his time as chief. “Community policing is all about establishing trust and working with the community to develop strategies that effectively reduce crime. In order to be most effective, our model must be a fully integrated approach that involves everyone in the department to provide decentralized and personalized service to the community,” Mitchell said, adding that maintaining and building n the department’s relationship with the City of DeKalb Police will be another important aspect of keeping campus and the surrounding neighborhoods safe.
The chief also plans to create the department’s first strategic plan, which will include the development of ways to recruit and retain officers and staff at the department.
“The dynamics of policing have changed, and people are not interested in a career in law enforcement like in years past. Like many departments all across the country, we are experiencing staffing shortages as officers retire or leave the profession,” Mitchell said. “We will work to not only enhance our recruitment efforts, but also ensure that the officers we have are provided with the News Release support and development opportunities that will make serving in the NIU Police Department a rewarding career.”
One point of emphasis will be increasing the number of women in the department’s ranks, particularly in leadership roles, said Mitchell, who earlier this year signed the 30 X 30 Pledge, an effort by police chiefs across the nation devoted to those goals. “Our department has a history of being ethnically and racially diverse, but we need to improve opportunities for women. The more our department resembles the community it serves, the better we will be able to meet their needs,” Mitchell said.
As he moves forward, Mitchell said, the goal will always be to create a safe place where students can pursue the educational opportunities at NIU that have helped him throughout his career. “I’ve come to think of NIU as home, and I want each generation of new students to feel the same about this university.”
After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1992, Mitchell took a position as an assistant director of the university’s CHANCE Program, where he remained while completing his master’s degree in Adult Continuing Education. He was contemplating a law degree when a friend convinced him to pursue a career in policing. He joined the NIU Police Department and has never looked back. During his time on the force, Mitchell graduated from the School of Police Staff and Command as well as from the Executive Management and Executive Decision-Making programs at the Advanced Police Management Institute at Northwestern University.
While an undergraduate student at NIU, Mitchell met his wife, Melody, who currently serves as the assistant dean for strategic communication in the NIU College of Law. The couple have made their home in DeKalb for more than 30 years and have raised three children, two sons and a daughter.