Tag: urbana police department

Urbana activists want more police oversight. But local laws hold the civilian review board hostage

This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and IPM News, which provides news about Illinois & in-depth reporting on Agriculture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Politics, powered by Illinois Public Media.

Champaign hired Police Chief Timothy Tyler despite disciplinary past and allegations of misconduct

This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and IPM Newsroom, which provides news about Illinois & in-depth reporting on Agriculture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Politics, powered by Illinois Public Media. This investigation was

Urbana City Council appoints new ‘progressive’ police chief

URBANA – More than a year since the retirement of Urbana’s police chief, the City Council unanimously appointed the only finalist, Larry Boone, as the new chief. The appointment came after months of various interviews and community meetings and the recommendation of Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin.  Marlin said the city conducted online and paper surveys

Police Reform A Major Issue In Urbana Mayoral Race

URBANA – Racial justice and police reform have been on the minds of Americans across the nation. And they’re a major issue in the race for mayor of Urbana. The three candidates running for the post in the Feb. 23 Democratic primary in Urbana all say they would make change in the city’s police policies.

Outside Review: Aleyah Lewis Arrest Followed Urbana Police Policy

URBANA – The Urbana City Council will hear a  presentation Tuesday night on a report from an outside firm which concludes the police officers who arrested Aleyah Lewis followed the Urbana Police Department’s use of force policy. But the study by the firm Hillard Heintze suggested possible revisions to the policy and how the department

Students Demand University Of Illinois Defund And Disarm Campus Police

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students are calling on the institution to sever ties with the college town’s local police departments and dissolve the university’s own police force. Following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis and the protests that followed, students at both the U of I’s Urbana and Chicago campuses are

Urbana Civilian Police Review Board Chair Pledges Reform

The new chairman of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board says he’s committed to fundamental reforms in the panel’s performance. Criticism of police conduct at recent Urbana City Council meetings has included the city’s Civilian Police Review board. At a meeting of the Urbana CPRB Wednesday night, Chairman Mikhail Lyubansky noted a list of criticisms

Peaceful Protest In Champaign Draws Huge Crowd

CHAMPAIGN – Thousands gathered in the streets of downtown Champaign on Saturday afternoon for a peaceful march in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The march, which was organized by local nonprofit Paign To Peace, drew people from across the county. Protesters gathered in Hessel Park around noon to meet and make signs, and