DEKALB, Ill. – A unique relationship between Northern Illinois University students and police officers may have prevented additional fatalities during an on-campus shooting on Thursday.

NIU Police Chief Donald Grady said officers on the scene were able to give immediate attention to victims because all NIU officers are certified emergency medical technicians. Grady said his officers’ expertise helped provide aid to the wounded NIU students.

“I would like to say we saved, or at least prolonged, the lives of four or five individuals,” Grady said. “We didn’t tell them to hold on while they were bleeding out – we took action.”

Grady said the immediate medical attention provided by his officers allowed for flexibility while the rest of his team made sure the scene was secure. Before any emergency medical personnel were allowed into Cole Hall, officers had to be certain that the area was safe.

Security and life preservation are top priorities for Grady and the rest of the NIU Police, but the department takes more of a hands-on approach in serving their roles. Each NIU officer is assigned to a campus housing building to do more than just enforce the law.

Grady said students and officers have a “friendly and cordial relationship” that is much different from other universities around the country.

“If they have a problem, they can come to us,” he said. “We’re not just enforcing the law . we are able to spend a lot more time than other student-officer relationships.”

In every NIU student, Grady said he sees an individual who is away from his or her family and needs to be protected. He said it is his duty and the duty of the NIU Police to act as parental figures and treat students as if they were their own.

Grady said the job of the NIU Police now is to reestablish security on campus and make sure students are comfortable with DeKalb’s atmosphere.

“We will continue to work hard,” Grady said. “Our presence is absolute.”