Illinois law requires transparency when police kill people. Many cases stay in the dark
Illinois promised answers after fatal officer-involved shootings and other deaths at the hands of law enforcement. But some prosecutors stay silent.
Tag: police
Want to know a police officer’s job history? There’s a new tool for that from Invisible Institute
The non-profit journalism organization Invisible Institute has launched a new tool that allows people to look up police employment history. The National Police Index, created in partnership with Innocence Project New Orleans and Human Rights Data Analysis Group, compiles data obtained from state police training and certification boards. The tool currently shows data in 17 states, including
Illinois high court hands lawmakers a rare pension-overhaul victory
The 2019 consolidation law pooled money from municipal funds to boost investment returns and cut administrative fees. The plaintiffs argued their loss of local control was impairment.
Urbana City Council delays decision to hire more police officers, facing resident pushback
URBANA — Urbana Police Chief Larry Boone asked the Urbana City Council Monday night to amend the budget to hire four additional police officers. The Council deferred the decision until a national consulting firm hired by the department releases a report with staffing recommendations. Boone requested $569,198 to fund four new positions, including a Deputy
Urbana Police will consider hiring non-police staff for mental health, domestic violence calls
URBANA — The Urbana Police Department hired a national consulting firm this year to evaluate how the department works, including how — and if — officers should handle certain types of calls for service. The firm, BerryDunn, has worked with police departments throughout the U.S. to evaluate their processes and offer recommendations. One consideration is
Emails reveal UIPD’s plan to use surveillance to monitor campus crime in real time
CHAMPAIGN — The University of Illinois Police Department has requested nearly a million dollars in federal funding to open a real-time crime center. The center would enable police officers to receive more information from a growing number of surveillance methods while responding to incidents, according to UIPD spokesperson Pat Wade. If the real-time operators find
Illinois expands use of police surveillance drones
New law allows event surveillance, building inspections, search and rescue
University of Illinois students caught in financial scams, prompting police outreach
Scammers often target international students and pose as government agencies – threatening to deport students if they don’t send money.
New U of I database gives more complete picture of police shootings in Illinois
CHAMPAIGN — University of Illinois researchers published a new database last week on police use of force across the state. The SPOTLITE database – short for “Systemic Policing Oversight Through Lethal-Force Incident Tracking Environment” — includes twice as many incidents as Illinois police previously reported. “When we rely solely on administrative reporting by policing agencies,
Champaign County police turn to financial incentives to fill vacancies
CHAMPAIGN – Police departments across the U.S., including in Champaign County, are facing staffing shortages. The Champaign police department is using financial incentives to try to fill 20 officer openings. Within the last few months, it filled several vacancies after offering a $20,000 signing bonus. “Recruiting is getting harder,” Joe Lamberson, the Champaign police department’s
Champaign County community leaders offer more than thoughts and prayers
CHAMPAIGN — There have been more than 260 mass shootings in the US so far in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Two Champaign community leaders are offering more than thoughts and prayers. Rev. Terrance L. Thomas is a pastor at Bethel AME Church in Champaign. He rejects blaming the current gun violence crisis
Champaign And Urbana Police Struggle To Diversify
Despite pledges over the years to diversify the police department, both the Champaign and Urbana police staff have remained overwhelmingly white. In 2014, the police staff in Champaign was 88% white and Urbana’s police staff was 84% white, CU-CitizenAccess reported at that time. Almost seven years later, those numbers are virtually unchanged. In Champaign, 99 out of
U Of I Police Department Hiring Social Workers To Handle Mental Health Crisis Calls
URBANA – The University of Illinois Police Department is planning to increase the number of mental health professionals on staff to help officers respond to crisis calls. Lieutenant Aaron Landers leads UIPD’s community outreach efforts, including the new mental health pilot program, known as Response, Evaluation and Crisis Health, or, REACH. He says the plan
State’s Attorney Says Deadly Force ‘Justified’ In Police Shooting
Editor’s Note: Illinois State Police released videos of the deadly May 19 shootings in Champaign. You can find a synced video of area surveillance cameras and police body cams here. The video is graphic. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. CHAMPAIGN – On the day after Champaign Officer Chris Oberheim’s funeral, Illinois State Police released surveillance
News Around Illinois — Sept. 1, 2020
Advocate Warns Of Moving Foster Children To Managed Care Beginning Sept. 1, an estimated 18,000 foster children will be transferred from the child welfare system into a health care coverage plan. YouthCare is a “managed care” insurance program. Under managed care, a private, for-profit insurance company is paid a flat monthly per-person rate to manage