Captains bring experience, perspective to new roles
URBANA – The University of Illinois Police Department on Sunday will make two high-level promotions to fill spots left vacant by a retirement and an overall reorganization of the department. Lieutenants Anthony Brown and Matt Myrick will move into new positions as Captains. The two have been with UIPD for more than 20 years each, and Police Chief Jeff Christensen said they each bring a vast amount of experience and knowledge into their new roles. Brown started as a police officer in 1989 and will begin Sunday as Captain of Administration. He has served as a field-training officer, SWAT commander [...]
Area police assemble street crimes task force
https://youtu.be/mOIarrEL_gQ CHAMPAIGN – Police agencies in Champaign County are joining up to address the increase in gun violence across the area. While overall crime in the area is down, gun violence has increased in Champaign-Urbana and its surrounding communities. Law enforcement leaders on Tuesday announced they have assembled a street crimes task force with representation from various agencies to focus on preventing gun violence and reducing the number of illegal guns on the street. That task force will comprise eight police officers from the Champaign, Urbana and University of Illinois police departments and the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office. The group [...]
Q&A: Illini-Alert and how UIPD informs campus of emergencies
Public safety officials on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus have an enormous responsibility when it comes to informing people about emergencies. Getting out tens of thousands of emails and text messages when there may be only seconds to spare is no small task. Early Saturday morning, police issued a series of Illini-Alerts after a shooting was reported at an apartment near campus in the 800 block of South Locust Street, Champaign. A large group of people had gathered to celebrate a high school graduation. One person was hurt in the shooting and was treated for non-life threatening injuries. [...]
Area police stakeout rooftops for Special Olympics
CHAMPAIGN — In an effort to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois, officers from the University of Illinois Police Department, Champaign Police Department and Illinois State Police maned the rooftop of Dunkin’ Donuts at 515 S. Neil St., Champaign, on Friday. It’s part of a statewide effort — police officers in Illinois were scheduled to cover more than 190 Dunkin’ Donuts rooftops to raise awareness and collect donations for the Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit Special Olympics Illinois. Each guest who visited a “Cop on a Rooftop” location and made a donation to the Torch Run received a coupon for a [...]
U. of I. Police officer gets unique certification as drug expert
URBANA – Officer Ryan Snow has joined an exclusive group of Illinois police who are certified as drug recognition experts, and he hopes the distinction will help to deter impaired driving and drug use on campus. The program is sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and administered by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Snow’s participation in more than 200 hours of training means he now has an exceptional sense of when someone is under the influence of drugs. The program was originally created to deter impaired driving by increasing the likelihood that people who drive under [...]