DeKALB – The Monday morning meeting at the Northern Illinois University Police Department had a different look to it.

For the first time as the acting director of the NIU Police Department and Public Safety, Bill Nicklas met with officers along with the newly appointed acting police chief, Darren Mitchell, to begin an assessment of department procedures and policies in the wake of mishandled evidence.

Although Nicklas has no background in law enforcement, he said he was well-received by officers and police administrators and confident the department could address “concerning” issues that led Nicklas to place Chief Donald Grady and Lt. Kartik Ramakrishnan on paid administrative leave last week.