UIPD makes lobby available for safe exchanges
URBANA, Ill. – The University of Illinois Police Department is encouraging students and others who are buying or selling items online through services like Facebook or Craigslist to complete those transactions in safe places this holiday season. To facilitate that, the University Police Department is making its own lobby available for people who are meeting with strangers to make those exchanges. The UIPD lobby at 1110 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana, is open 24/7 and is equipped with security cameras. “We know that our students are using the online marketplace to buy and sell valuable items for cash,” said Executive Director [...]
Chat with Chief Stone: Fall and winter breaks
The University of Illinois Police Department is here to keep you safe, and it provides a number of different services that can help you while you are on campus. This month, we’re speaking with Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Craig Stone about how to stay safe if you sticking around campus during the fall and winter break – or what to do if you are traveling away from campus. What should I expect on campus during breaks? There are far fewer people in the campus area during the fall and winter breaks. Some restaurants and other [...]
Dads Association helps UIPD increase bike patrols
URBANA, Ill. – The University of Illinois Police Department will again be bolstering its bicycle unit thanks to a generous grant from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Dads Association. The 2019 grant for $1,930 from the Dads Association to UIPD builds on an existing partnership. In 2017, the Dads Association provided a similar grant to UIPD to purchase a new bicycle for police patrols. Bicycle units are particularly valuable on a college campus, where some high-traffic pedestrian areas are not immediately accessible to a traditional police vehicle. Bicycle patrols also make it easier to engage campus community members in [...]
UIPD introduces ‘soft interview room’ to make reporting easier
https://youtu.be/N1_dyWXjCQc If this video does not load, click here to play in YouTube. URBANA, Ill. – The University of Illinois Police Department is making the reporting of sensitive crimes a bit easier for victims with the use of a new “soft interview room.” A soft interview room differs from the traditional style of police interview room by softening the environment with comfortable chairs, relaxing wall decorations and softer lighting. That is in contrast to the typical interview room that contains only a couple basic chairs and a small table. “Not exactly like home, but a lot less sterile than the typical [...]
Academy leaves participants with new understanding of police
URBANA, Ill. – The third class of participants in the University of Illinois Police Department’s Community Police Academy graduated Wednesday night with a new understanding of police operations, and officers gained a new understanding of the needs of community members. Participants of the academy spent four weeks learning about emergency dispatch, police patrol, crime scene investigation, undercover operations, K-9 units and bomb squads. The final week culminated with participants having the opportunity to experience a police call first hand in a simulated environment. “This academy has been a great opportunity for us to build relationships with members of our campus [...]