Generous donation helps UIPD body camera project
URBANA, Ill. – Thanks to a generous donation from Jim and Barb Esworthy of the Journey Foundation, the University of Illinois Police Department is moving toward equipping all of its officers with body cameras. On Friday, the Esworthys presented to the police department a $6,000 check, which will go toward converting the department’s existing squad-car camera and video management systems to the same system that the body cameras will run on. Converting everything to the same system will allow the department’s squad car cameras have a wider range of view, and it will make the management of video and associated [...]
Traffic advisory: Some roads to close for Fourth of July events
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois Police Department wants to remind community members and travelers that road closures will affect traffic in the campus area throughout Wednesday’s Fourth of July events. The first set of road closures will begin at 8 a.m. on Kirby/Florida Avenue and Lincoln Avenue to accommodate the Youth Run and 5K events, followed by the Fourth of July parade. The parade is expected to end around 2 p.m. Street closures on Kirby Avenue, First Street, Stadium Drive and St. Mary’s Road near Memorial Stadium and Assembly Hall will begin around 5 p.m. to accommodate the [...]
UIPD reminds community to be aware of scammers, number spoofing
URBANA, Ill. – The University of Illinois Police Department is reminding community members to be mindful of scammers when receiving calls from a number you don’t recognize, even if it traces back to a legitimate business or agency. Phone number spoofing is a common practice for scammers. In the past several weeks, the University of Illinois Police Department has been notified by two different people who say they received a call that appeared on caller ID to come from the police department. The caller claimed that the person answering the call owed money to the IRS and there was a [...]
Overseas orientations prove beneficial for students, UIPD
SEOUL, South Korea — Upon returning from the University of Illinois Police Department’s first trip overseas to talk about campus safety with incoming international students, U. of I. Police Lt. Joan Fiesta says the experience was extremely valuable not only for students and their parents, but also the police department. UIPD’s campus safety messages have always been relayed by other university representatives who have for years been making the trip to Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, China, and Seoul, South Korea, to complete what are known as pre-arrival orientation sessions for incoming students. But Fiesta said that the students’ personal interactions [...]
U. of I. Police recover loaded gun from vehicle just off campus
CHAMPAIGN – A man was arrested and an illegal firearm seized after police found a loaded handgun in a vehicle just blocks from the U. of I. campus late Saturday night. A patrol officer near Locust and John streets, Champaign, watched as a vehicle driven by Charles Peterson, 24, of Urbana, failed to stop for a stop sign around 11:23 p.m. Saturday. After the officer initiated the traffic stop, the vehicle pulled into a gas station at the corner of First and Green streets. Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer noticed a strong odor of cannabis coming from inside the [...]