State criminal investigators will assist the federal government with investigations relating to the Sept. 11 attacks, state officials announced Friday.

The U.S. Department of Justice is attempting to conduct interviews with 5,000 men about the terrorist attacks. Among the 5,000 are 130 from Wisconsin who entered the United States on visas since Jan. 1.

Randy Romanski, spokesperson for Attorney Gen. James Doyle, said the state would cooperate with the government in investigations and offer assistance in conducting the interviews.

“We have helped federal authorities in the past and will continue to help them if it’s a matter that may assist in promoting the security of Wisconsin and American residents. The attorney general has said this is not a time where the Department of Justice is going to second-guess the FBI,” Romanski told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Despite Doyle’s decision to aid the government, UW-Madison and the UW Police Department announced they would not release information about students and would not help with interviews of any UW students.

Chancellor John Wiley said that although the university intends to and always has cooperated fully with the federal government on issues of security, the questioning standards set by the government were not acceptable.

“University officials, including me, believe the criteria to select individuals for interviews — outlined late Wednesday, Dec. 5, by the U.S. attorney’s office in Wisconsin — is broadly based and appears to consist of people who are not suspected of any crimes or suspicious activities,” Wiley said in a statement Thursday.

Wiley said if, at any point, criminal activity is suspected, UW will cooperate fully with the government, but not until that point.

Despite Doyle’s decision to aid the government, the university is not compelled to do so. Romanski said it is the right of the university to deny help in the investigation.

UW journalism and mass communication and law professor Robert Drechsel said different state organizations have the ability to determine policy for themselves, so UW has the option to exempt itself from the investigations.

One organization cannot exert authority over another, so UW can take actions different than those outlined by the attorney general.

“It simply has to do with powers of different state entities and the attorney general can speak for the Department of Justice and what ever entities are under its direct control, but he probably doesn’t have any power over the university,” Drechsel said.