URBANA, Ill. – The University of Illinois Police Department wants students to know that public safety personnel are here to help if they need anything with final exams coming up. For some students, studying for finals means late nights at libraries and other campus buildings. Those needing to travel on campus at night are encouraged to use the SafeWalks service, which operates from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. “Theft and robbery often are crimes of opportunity, and criminals tend to target individuals who are walking alone [...]

URBANA, Ill. – The first class of participants in the Community Police Academy will graduate following four weeks of learning about policing practices on campus. Participants in the 12-hour class have spent the past three weeks learning about emergency dispatch, crime scene investigation, police K-9 units and traffic stops. The fourth week will conclude with talks given by representatives of the METRO SWAT unit and the University of Illinois Police Department bomb squad (including the department's bomb-detection K9), as well as a simulation of the split-second decisions police officers have to make in potential use-of-force situations. Graduation will happen around [...]

URBANA, Ill. – U. of I. Police are reminding students and other to be on guard against potential scams at all times. The University Police Department received at least one report of a student being defrauded of a large amount of money after receiving an online message indicating that he had a computer virus and needed to call a phone number to have it fixed. When he called, the scammer demanded that the student purchase a series of gift cards and read the gift card information over the phone to pay for the fix. The calls continued for several days [...]

URBANA, Ill. – Bicycle thefts are down in the first half of the fall semester as the University of Illinois Police Department continues an initiative to prevent thefts and increase the quality of life on campus. From Aug. 23 through Oct. 9, only 13 bicycle thefts were reported to University Police. That is fewer reports than the same time period for four of the past five years. Two of the thefts reported involved the University Police Department’s anti-theft bikes, which are designed to help police track and identify bicycle thieves. The bikes are strategically placed at campus locations most frequently [...]

We had 11 questions for Telecommunications Supervisor Ed Kavanaugh in our ongoing series to get to know Division of Public Safety staff members. Ed works in the University of Illinois Police telecommunications room, which is the first point of contact for people who come in or call seeking assistance. Telecommunicators also serve a critical role in assisting police officers on the street by checking records or security cameras when there is a crime in progress, among many other duties. How long have you worked for the Division of Public Safety? More than 15 years. What's a typical day like for [...]