NIU police

Northern Illinois University police officials and DeKalb fire officials say they recently completed a first as far as emergency training sessions go.

The training instructed first responders on how to care for police K-9 units in the event of an emergency.

DeKalb Deputy Fire Chief Jeff McMaster says first responders complete required Emergency Medical Services training every month touching on various subjects. But this time around was a little different.

“We’ve never had this type of training before, so it was new, it was fresh and very engaging,” McMaster said.

Thursday is the first day of several days of testimony in the case against a former Northern Illinois University police officer who was accused of sexual assault.

Court officials anticipate the trial of Andrew Rifkin taking about a week and including about ten witnesses. That includes the alleged victim’s former roommate, a digital forensics expert, and NIU health services personnel, according to court documents.

The Northern Illinois University police department will host its first-ever Safety Awareness Day next week.

NIU officer Weyni Langdon says the fair’s purpose is for new members of the community – like college freshmen who haven’t been away from home before – to familiarize themselves with police departments in the surrounding area and get necessary safety resource information all in one place.

“At the beginning of the year, we have a lot of questions about which agency is which – you know, ‘Are you NIU police? Are you DeKalb police? Are you county?’” Langdon said.

A former Northern Illinois University police officer accused of sexual assault will ask the victim to testify in the case.