Student Patrol Officer named ‘Crime Fighter of the Year’
CHAMPAIGN – A U. of I. Student Patrol Officer was the first-ever winner of the Dave Benton Outstanding Champaign County Crime Fighter Award presented on Thursday by Crime Stoppers of Champaign County. Michael Hao, a junior in computer engineering, was honored primarily for his efforts in developing the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign SafeWalks mobile app, which makes it more convenient than ever to request a walking escort to reduce students’ likelihood of being targeted by a criminal at night. SafeWalks is a free service provided by the U. of I. Student Patrol, of which Hao is a member. The trained students walk [...]
U. of I. Police investigate projector thefts
CHAMPAIGN – U. of I. Police is asking the community for information about the thefts of four projectors taken from unlocked classrooms in June. The multimedia projectors were reported missing on June 26. They are believed to have been taken sometime between June 24 and 26 from separate classrooms on the third floor of the Armory Building, 505 E. Armory Ave., Champaign. All four missing projectors were taken from brackets affixed to the ceiling of the classrooms. The connection cords were left behind, and there was no indication that they had been removed for business purposes. The Epson LCD projectors [...]
Students asked to use discretion in job search
URBANA – Following two reports of job scams within the past couple weeks, the Division of Public Safety is hoping to remind students and others to be judicious when looking for employment. A U. of I. student reported on June 15 that she had been the victim of deceptive practices after applying on a U. of I. online job board for a job that does not exist. The student said she became suspicious the job was not legitimate and called police after being asked to wire $150 from her account to another. In the second incident, a U. of I. student [...]
U. of I. Police introduces newest lieutenants
URBANA – U. of I. Police made two high-level promotions this week as it continues looking for the best ways to handle the evolution of the department. U. of I. Police Chief Jeff Christensen announced that sergeants John Brown and Joan Fiesta will move into new positions as lieutenants. Lt. Brown is now in charge of first shift and special events, and Lt. Fiesta oversees support services. Lt. Brown started his career with UIPD in 1990 as a police officer. Over the years, he has served as a field-training officer, a narcotics investigator, a Metropolitan Emergency Tactical Response Operations team [...]
Officers and community members recognized for service
CHAMPAIGN – Officer Jason Bradley is being honored as the University of Illinois Police Department’s officer of the year for his persistence in making the campus community a safer place. Bradley was nominated and selected by a committee of his peers as the Ralph F. Hamlin Officer of the Year. In addition to earning the department’s top individual award, he also earned three merit awards for specific incidents in which he was involved during the past year. On June 14, 2014, the driver of a vehicle Bradley had stopped for speeding fled on foot. Not only did Bradley and a [...]