Northern Illinois University this week announced its new top cop for the university’s police department.

Jason John, who’s been interim chief since February, was appointed chief of NIU’s Department of Police and Public Safety, according to a news release.

John, a Huskie himself, is no stranger to DeKalb. He’s been with the NIU police department for 21 years.

“I’ve been part of this community for more than two decades,” John said in a news release. “I truly believe the NIU police chief should be someone who’s lived this experience, who’s gone to school here, lived in the residence halls, joined our organizations, cheered at games and walked these same paths as our students. I’m proud to be a Huskie through and through.”

John became an NIU police officer in 2004. He earned a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU in 2003.

NIU officials said he was chosen in part due to his experience in upper management. He was promoted to commander in 2012 and then deputy chief in 2017.

NIU undertook a nationwide search and hosted public forums for the job, which John has held in an interim capacity since the retirement of former chief Darren Mitchell.

“We sought a leader with integrity, extensive experience and a proven record of collaboration and commitment,” Chief Strategy Officer Matt Streb said in a release. “We were fortunate to find that right here at NIU. Chief John’s passion for campus policing is evident in all he’s done as a respected leader within the Huskie community. We congratulate him on his new role and are proud to call him our chief.”

John will report directly to Streb, according to the university.

Among the goals John said he has for his time as chief include encouraging his officers to engage with the greater university community, according to the release.

In a video address in August published on the department’s social media page, John greeted students for the semester, promising them “around the clock” efforts to keep students and community members safe.

“When I talk about a community-based approach, it’s not just focusing on one specific group,” John said in the release. “Safety is a shared responsibility, and if that’s truly the case, we can’t expect it to work if we don’t have everyone engaged in what we do.”

He said he also wants to make sure his officers know their roles in an emergency, lead by centering fairness, equity, transparency and accountability, and strengthen collaborations with NIU and the city of DeKalb.

“Resilient leadership means having the courage to make tough decisions when times get hard and the fairness to lead with integrity,” he said. “Our community needs to have trust in us that we’ll do the right thing even when nobody’s watching.”

John was awarded NIU’s Chief’s Award in 2023, attended the FBI National Academy in 2022 among other law enforcement basic and specialized training.