CHAMPAIGN – To accommodate this Friday night’s Fighting Illini football game versus Nebraska, daytime street closures may affect drivers traveling through campus. Friday’s street closures are as follows: Beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, Kirby Avenue will be closed between First and Fourth streets.Beginning at 11 a.m. Friday, First Street will be closed between Peabody Drive and Kirby Avenue.Beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday, First Street will be closed between Stadium Drive and Kirby Avenue.Beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Peabody Drive will be closed between First and Fourth streets. Most gameday parking lots will open at 7 a.m., but certain lots will [...]

URBANA – Another member of the University of Illinois Police Department’s emergency planning team earned her professional accreditation this month while two others were recertified. Emergency Planning Training Coordinator Stephanie Vogelsang was has been accredited as an Illinois Professional Emergency Manager (IPEM). She received her certificate in Springfield, Illinois, on Sept. 6, and the status puts her in an elite group of emergency planning experts in the state. The university’s Office of Campus Emergency Planning coordinates emergency preparedness and ongoing training to ensure that the campus is ready for natural or man-made disasters it may face – including things like [...]

URBANA — The University of Illinois Police Department has released its annual report highlighting the most significant crime and safety trends and initiatives during the past school year. The 2016-2017 Year In Review is available at http://police.illinois.edu/YearInReview.  "We have a very safe campus, but no community is completely immune from crime," Police Chief Jeff Christensen wrote in a message included in the document. "This report is part of our effort to make sure our community members have the information they need to look out for themselves and each other." The Year In Review includes crime statistics from the previous school year, [...]

URBANA — With a new school year under way, the University of Illinois Police Department is reminding students and others of the university’s and the state of Illinois’ medical amnesty procedures, which protect students from getting in trouble when they call 911 to help someone in need. Fear of receiving an underage drinking ticket may be a deterrent for some students to call for police or medical help when they or someone they know is in need. A new state law which went into effect last year protects students from receiving a drinking ticket if they call 911 during an [...]

URBANA – The University of Illinois Police Department is welcoming three new police officers who took their oaths of office Thursday. The new officers all have previous law enforcement experience and will be in the department’s field training program immediately, meaning community members may see them out and about right away. Officer Ty Ledbetter comes to the University of Illinois Police Department after 11 years with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office where he was most recently a K-9 deputy. Ledbetter also worked part-time as an Arthur Police officer. Officer Drew Osterholt will be familiar with campus policing after working at [...]