217 Today: Champaign Police Department revitalizes engagement program after halting for pandemic

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Champaign Chief of Police, Timothy T. Tyler, making bracelets with a kid at the "Ice Pops With Cops" event at Hedge Pop! Park on June 6th.
  • Photo: Mae Antar / Illinois Newsroom

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Today’s headlines: 

  • Wildfire smoke from Canada continues to worsen Illinois’ air quality.
  • A panel of Cook County commissioners green-lit a proposal Wednesday to provide fully paid parental leave for up to 12 weeks for their nearly 20,000 employees.
  • Braver Angels Illinois brought Democrats and Republicans together last night for a bipartisan conversation in Rantoul.
  • The Rantoul Police Department has released body-cam footage of June 7, when an officer shot and killed an 18-year-old.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about how the Champaign Police Department is trying to revitalize a former engagement program that ended when the pandemic began.

Reporting today contributed by Kristen Schorsch, Tim Shelley, Emily Hays and Mae Antar.

 

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Farrah Anderson

Farrah Anderson is a 2024 graduate of the University of Illinois. At Illinois Public Media, Anderson works as a general assignment reporter focusing on police and investigative stories.