URBANA, Illinois — The University of Illinois Police Department will host National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 2, to bring together law enforcement and community members to promote awareness, safety and unity. The event will take place between 5-8 p.m. on Aug. 2 at the Arboretum, 1800 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana. It is free and open to the public. Residents throughout Champaign-Urbana and community members of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus are invited to attend. The event will include: Free food (while supplies last)Family-friendly activitiesMusic“Touch a truck” with fire, ambulance and police vehiclesKids up to the age of 12 [...]

The University of Illinois Police Department in the past couple weeks has spent more time conducting enforcement of driving under the influence violations, and patrol officers will continue to look for motorists who are putting others at risk. On July 16 alone, University Police officers made three arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol. During those stops, those three drivers provided breath samples indicating blood-alcohol concentrations between 0.10 and 0.16. The legal limit for driving is 0.08. On July 12, University Police made another arrest when they stopped to assist a driver whose vehicle was stopped on the side [...]

URBANA, Ill. — The University of Illinois Police Department will be conducting training exercises at University of Illinois Laboratory High School (Uni High) during the week of July 25 and early in the week of Aug. 1. Those in the area can expect to see a police presence and may observe police officers engaged in tactical operations immediately outside of the school. This is a drill only, and there is no expected threat at or near the school unless otherwise indicated by authorities. The high school is located at 1212 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana, which is on the University of [...]

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – The Champaign County Freedom Celebration will take place Monday at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the events will affect traffic on campus. The first closures will begin around 8 a.m. Monday, when sections of Kirby Avenue and Lincoln Avenue on campus will close to accommodate the 5K and youth runs and the parade that immediately follows. Those routes will reopen at the conclusion of the parade, expected around 12:45 p.m. Then, around 6 p.m., traffic closures around the areas of State Farm Center and Memorial Stadium will go into effect to accommodate the evening fireworks program [...]

URBANA, Illinois – A new program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign trains professionals who work at the intersection of law enforcement and mental health, and the one-week academy may be the first of its kind. Mental health emergencies often prompt community members to call 911 – either because the person experiencing the emergency is at risk of harming themselves or they are creating a public safety hazard. Historically, police officers have been the first responders dispatched to address the 911 call. While some police officers have crisis intervention training, none are mental health professionals or experienced clinicians. That’s why [...]