BOSTON – When the Fighting Illini men’s basketball team takes the court Thursday night in a Sweet 16 matchup, there will be two sets of extra eyes and ears in the crowd looking out for the safety of the players, coaches and fans. University of Illinois Police Department Assistant Chief Joe McCullough and Lieutenant James Carter have been working with the team since 2021, when the Division of Public Safety partnered with the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics to enhance the safety of its football and basketball programs. Officer Chris Williams works as the safety liaison with the Fighting Illini football [...]

URBANA, Illinois – Campus was deemed safe Wednesday evening after University of Illinois Police investigated a suspicious package at Mumford Hall, 1301 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana. At about 5:43 p.m., a UIPD patrol officer was approached by an Illinois employee who reported that an unusual package was present near an entryway to the building. An explosive ordnance detection dog was on duty and dispatched to examine the package. The bomb-sniffing K9 indicated that the box contained a hazardous substance. Police evacuated the building and issued an Illini-Alert emergency notification to all students, faculty and staff after the bomb-sniffing dog indicated [...]

URBANA, Illinois – University of Illinois Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Jan. 20 death of Akul Dhawan, a student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Information collected so far supports the initial belief that the death was accidental, and no foul play occurred. Mr. Dhawan, 18, was found deceased at about 11:08 a.m. Jan. 20 in the 1200 block of West Nevada Street, Urbana. A friend who lost contact with Mr. Dhawan had called police at 1:23 a.m. that morning, expressing that he was concerned for Mr. Dhawan. Investigators have assembled a timeline of the initial [...]

URBANA, Illinois – University of Illinois Police are investigating after an 18-year-old U. of I. student was found deceased Saturday morning in the 1200 block of West Nevada Street, Urbana. Preliminary information suggests that there was no foul play involved, and the death is initially believed to be accidental. The investigation is ongoing, and the status may change as new information is collected. At 1:23 a.m. Saturday morning, the student’s friend called police to say that he had not seen the student for about an hour and could not reach him via telephone. University Police searched the area where the [...]

URBANA, Illinois – At 12:21 p.m. Saturday, University of Illinois Police responded to the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center after it was reported that someone displayed a firearm during a dispute. No shots were fired, and no one was injured. People at the I Hotel, 1900 S. First St., Champaign, self-evacuated when they heard reports of a weapon seen. The incident occurred during a non-UI graduation event that was being hosted at the I Hotel. Police quickly determined that there was no ongoing emergency threatening campus. Police conducted a traffic stop nearby on a vehicle that was thought to [...]