Campus police officers, law enforcement authority, and interagency cooperation.
The Board of Trustees of Northern Michigan University exercised their authority under Public Act 120, passing a resolution granting the same powers and authority as granted by law to peace and police officers in the Sate of Michigan to the officers of the Public Safety and Police Services Department of Northern Michigan University. In addition, our officers are sworn Deputy Sheriffs for Marquette County. University police officers must have a bachelor degree and are required to attend a regional police academy governed by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards. Officers are required to attend mandatory in-service training throughout the year to enable them to perform more efficiently and more safely.
Interagency Cooperation
Northern Michigan University Public Safety and Police Services works closely with several agencies; i.e. Marquette City Police Department, Marquette County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan State Police. We rely on these relationships for support on several levels. In addition to sharing critical information, the Department of Public Safety and Police Services has immediate contact with the Regional Dispatch 911 Center. This arrangement gives us immediate access to mutual aid and support from area agencies.
Reporting Criminal Incidents and Other Emergencies
All students, employees, and guests should promptly report criminal incidents, accidents, and other emergencies to the Department of Public Safety and Police Services by dialing 911. Individuals may also report incidents in person at the department headquarters located at 102 Sugar Loaf Avenue.
Dispatchers are available 24 hours a day to answer calls. In response to a call Public Safety and Police Services will dispatch an officer to take the incident report. All reports filed are forwarded to the Dean of Students office for review and potential action. Public Safety and Police Services will investigate a report when deemed appropriate. Additional information obtained via the investigation will also be forwarded to the Dean of Students Office.
If assistance is needed from the Marquette City Police Department or other law enforcement agency, Public Safety and Police Services will contact the appropriate department.
This publication contains information about on-campus and off-campus resources. This information is made available to provide NMU community members with specific information about the resource available in the event that they become the victim of a crime.
Crimes should be reported to the University Police department to ensure inclusion in the annual crime statistics and to aid in providing timely warning notices to the community, when appropriate.
The university has installed emergency two way call boxes (blue light phones) throughout campus for use during emergencies. By pressing the red button on the blue light phones, users can communicate directly with our dispatch center. Locations are digitally displayed to the dispatch center.
Monitoring and Recording Criminal Activity at Off-Campus Organizations
The university relies on its close working relationships with local law enforcement agencies to receive information about incidents involving students on campus. The Department of Public Safety and Police Services will actively investigate any crime information it receives concerning or involving a member of the campus community. If the University is notified of a situation in which a campus community member is the victim of a crime, the department may issue a Campus Safety Alert, detailing the incident and providing tips so that other community members may avoid similar incidents.
Confidential Reporting Procedures
If you are a victim of a crime and do not want to pursue action within the University System or the criminal justice system, you may still want to consider making a confidential report. With your permission a designated campus security authority can file a report with the department of Public Safety and Police Services on the details of the incident without revealing your identity. The purpose of a confidential report is to comply with your wish to keep the matter confidential while taking steps to ensure the future safety of yourself and others. With this information the University can keep an accurate record of the number of incidents involving students, determine where there is a pattern of crime with regard to a particular location, method, or assailant, and alert the campus community to potential danger. Reports filed in this manner are counted and disclosed in the annual crime statistics for the institution.
Confidential Reporting Procedures (Counselors)
As a result of the negotiated rulemaking process which followed the signing into law, the 1998 amendments to 20 U.S.C. Section 1092 (f), clarification was given to those considered to be campus security authorities. Campus “Pastoral Counselors” and Campus “Professional Counselors”, when acting as such, are not considered to be a campus security authority and are not required to report crimes for inclusion into the annual disclosure of crime statistics. As a matter of policy, they are encouraged; if and when they deem appropriate, to inform persons being counseled of the procedures to report crimes on a voluntary basis for inclusion into the annual crime statistics.
The rulemaking committee defines counselors as:
Pastoral Counselor:
An employee of an institution, who is associated with a religious order or denomination, recognized by that religious order or denomination as someone who provides confidential counseling and who is functioning within the scope of that recognition as a pastoral counselor.
Professional Counselor:
An employee of an institution whose official responsibilities include providing psychological counseling to members of the institution’s community and who is functioning within the scope of his or her license or certification.